The Case of the Brothers in Arms
by kaleen1212
Summary: Perry Mason and Robert T. Ironside's vacation is interrupted by a man intent on taking revenge on the San Francisco Detective. They must find a way to protect themselves until they can get word to their friends for help
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own either the Ironside or the Perry Mason characters. They are the creation of Collier Young and Erle Stanley Gardner. All other characters were created to create this story. Nor is there any financial gain for this fanfiction.

BROTHERS IN ARMS

CHAPTER 1

Mark put on a pot of coffee to brew. Ed and Eve were working at separate tables on backed up cases. Chief Robert T. Ironside's office only saw the toughest of cases. As a consultant to Commissioner Dennis Randall and the San Francisco Police Department, he was handed the cases no one else was able to solve. Whenever the city council was in a panic over something it always landed in the lap of Robert Ironside. As a result, the caseload in his office was always heavy.

Fortunately, for Ironside he has chosen a very efficient staff. Never was it more apparent than the case his staff had just solved along with the help of his Los Angeles friends. Hamilton Burger, Paul Drake, Lt. Arthur Tragg and of course his brother Perry Mason and his secretary Della Street helped finally solve the drug ring that had been operating in San Francisco as well as Los Angeles and San Diego. Mason had successfully cleared Commissioner Randall of the murder of drug dealer, Jermaine Webb. Although they started out as two cases, they quickly became one.

After a long, dangerous and exhausting investigation and trial, Chief Ironside arrested one hundred and twenty six people. All had been indicted by the acting district attorney, Gary Sullivan. The biggest prize of the investigation had been Governor Dillon Delmont who was the brains behind the drug ring. Ironside arrested had him arrested and charged him with drug trafficking and the murder of more than a dozen people. The most personal to the chief was the murder of Lt. John Means who had given his life to stop a bullet meant for him. Two more major arrests Ironside made himself were District Attorney John Richards and his Detective Sergeant brother, Damon Richard. Damon Richards had been the real killer of Jermaine Webb and with his brother had framed the commissioner.

Mason and Ironside made a promise to one another to take some time off and go fishing together after the case was completed. That was six months ago. Mason had to delay the trip when a friend of Della's had been arrested for the murder of her husband. Mason stepped in and successfully defended the woman. One thing led to another and both of their caseloads had delayed their fishing trip.

Ironside had been thrown into a particularly gruesome serial killer case involving Jimmy Chard, a young man he had arrested a few years earlier for trying to kill him in his office/residence. Chard had escaped prison and went on a murderous campaign, calling himself the Moonlight Killer. In a dramatic conclusion, Ironside again stopped the young man in his office where Chard had again attempted to kill him.

The case was not without emotional strain as Barbara Jones had re-entered his life when her husband Vic disappeared in San Francisco. Ironside located Vic who had been abducted by Jimmy Chard. She and Ironside had vowed to be together after Barbara took some time away to deal with her daughters and the divorce. She had promised to contact him. That was a little less than six months ago and he had received only one phone call from her for which he was not in the office to accept. She had left no phone number for him to call. All he could do was wait.

"Chief, what time did you say Perry was flying in tomorrow?" Sgt. Ed Brown asked his boss**.**

The sound of his sergeant's voice brought Ironside back to the present. "He will be in tomorrow morning. You will need to be at the airport at nine o'clock to meet his flight from Los Angeles, Ed." Ironside poured his third cup of coffee in this still very young morning. "In the meantime let's get some work done."

The door opened and Commissioner Dennis Randall came into the office. "Good morning everyone," he said cheerfully. He looked at his friend and could see that his mood had not changed since the last time he had seen him. "Bob, I brought you the keys to my cabin. You and Perry should find everything you need. I called ahead and had it stocked with food and firewood. It gets little chilly up there this time of year so make sure you pack some warm clothes. You better warn Perry to do the same."

"Thanks, Dennis" Ironside took a sip of coffee. "Who in the blazes cleaned the coffee pot?" He complained while making a face.

"I did," Mark said. Chief, it has to be cleaned. Who knows what is growing inside that thing?"

Eve smiled. It always amazed her when the chief knew the coffee pot had been cleaned. He claimed the coffee had better flavor if you did not clean the pot. If some of his guest ever saw the inside of that pot at times, they would never drink another cup of coffee in the chief's office again.

"It gives it flavor. Leave my flaming coffee pot alone," Ironside roared.

Ed and Randall chuckled. Yes, the chief was in a typical...well Ironside mood.

"Do the rest of us have to die of a disease from that thing?" Mark complained.

Eve knew it was time to intervene or Mark and the chief would start a back and forth that would last all morning. "It won't take that long to return to it to its original condition, chief. Mark is just trying to keep it in half way decent condition."

Mark was not finish yet. "Its original condition is clean not as black as me."

Commissioner Randall almost spit his coffee across the room. "Alright gentlemen, I think it is time to pull rank on you. The subject of the coffee pot is closed. One thing is for sure someone around here could use a vacation."

"Would you please tell my boss that," Mark said.

"You have to earn vacation time," Ironside retorted.

Eve and Ed looked at one another and attempted to hold back a laugh. If anyone who did not know the chief and Mark was sitting in the room they would think the two men could not stand each other. Eve and Ed knew nothing could be further from the truth. Mark and the chief were as close friends as two men could possibly be. Close enough that both like getting under the other man's skin.

"When are you going to get some groceries in this place?" Ironside asked Mark.

"I just got groceries yesterday," Mark replied.

"Well you would never know it. It is 9:30 am and I have yet to see breakfast on the table," Ironside complained. "I was beginning to think we were out of food."

Mark got up out of his chair. "Breakfast coming right up, oh wise one."

Dennis smiled at the two men. "Hey Mark, any chance you could include me in that breakfast?"

"As long as a certain party doesn't mind," Mark said.

Ironside began going over current cases and barking orders at his staff. He presented them with a list of things he wanted investigated while he was gone.

Randall listen for a minute and interrupted his friend, "Bob, don't worry about things around here. Just relax and have a good time with Perry. The fishing is great up there. Better fish in the early afternoon. It is too chilly in the morning and the evening is worse. And Bob, take it easy on my lawyer, will you?"

xxxx

Perry continued reading through the briefs Della had prepared for him. He had to get these done today. He had to be on a plane to San Francisco. Perry was excited about spending some time with Bob. They had not really spent any time together that did not involve solving a murder. He would miss Della, of course but it would give her some time to spend with friends she neglected due to the demand of his job. When they were not working a case, they were usually together. Neither of them spent much time with anyone else expect Paul Drake who was always welcome, well almost always welcome.

He finished reading the briefs and pressed the intercom button. "Della, will you come in here please." Della entered his office and closed the door behind her. She leaned back on the door with both hands behind her, a pose that just drove Perry crazy. "These are fine Della. You can take care of them from here."

Della walked over to her boss and picked up his coffee cup. She headed over to the coffee pot, re-filled it, then carried it back and set it in front of Perry.

"Now if anything comes up that you need me for I am leaving the phone number at Dennis Randall's cabin. You will be able to reach me there. If any of our clients need immediate legal help ask Jim Morgan to handle it until I get back." Perry was about to say something else when Della placed a finger over his lips.

"Stop worrying about the office. We can handle whatever comes up. You just go with Robert and have a good time. I will not be bothering you with business. You need the rest, Perry. Just relax and enjoy yourself. Della pushed Perry's big comfortable chair back and slipped into his lap. She smiled at him and her lips met his. When they separated she said, "I know how much you have been looking forward to spending some down time with him. Everything thing here will be just fine."

Perry smiled. "I will miss you. What do you plan on doing while I am out in the wilderness with San Francisco's finest?"

"I have some friends I want to visit. Paul has offered to take me out to dinner in your place while you are gone," she grinned.

"Some friend he is, trying to steal my girl while I'm away," he laughed.

There was a knock on the door. Della hurriedly got up and sat on the edge of the desk, grabbing a note pad and pencil. "Come in," Perry called out.

Gertie was in the habit of waiting until the boss told her to come in. Before Della arrived on the scene, she would simply knock on the door and enter. Not anymore. Although Mr. Mason and Miss Street were very professional around her, they could not hide their feelings for one another in their eyes. Gertie never wanted to walk in on a private moment between them.

"Miss Street, there is a woman in the outer office. She is crying. Since you handle that kind of thing better than I do I thought you might want to talk to her," Gertie said.

"Find out what that is all about, will you Della?" Perry said. Della got up and headed out of the office.

Sitting in the outer office across from Gertie's desk, a blonde woman in her mid to late twenties was dabbing her red eyes with a handkerchief. Della approached her and asked," May I help you."

The woman stood up immediately, "I have to see Mr. Mason. I realize I do not have an appointment but I just have to see him."

Della knew she would have to keep this woman out of Perry's office. She really wanted him to get away and relax. "My name is Della Street," she said. I am Mr. Mason's confidential secretary. Mr. Mason is not available at the moment. Can I help you?" Della watched as the woman began to panic.

"You don't understand. I must see Mr. Mason. He is the only one that can help me." She started crying again. She allowed Della to guide her into her office to a chair next to her desk."

"Please tell me why you need to see him? I might be able to help you," Della said.

"I don't know where to start," she said as she continued to weep.

"Why don't you start by telling me who you are?" Della said.

"My name is Rose Dove. I moved here to Los Angeles two months ago. We had been living in New York City. Tony announced he wanted to move to California. I did not want to do it but I did not want to lose Tony either. He had become withdrawn and quiet. Every time I tried to talk to him, he refused to discuss it," she told Della.

"Do you know why he was so distance with you?" Della asked.

"I found out last month that his business trips to Las Vegas never took place. I began checking up on him and what I have found is frightening." She began to cry again.

Della handed her a tissue and poured her a glass of water. "What did you find out?" Della asked.

"He is planning on murdering a policeman," she cried.

Shocked at her revelation Della said, "Would you wait right here. Let me find out if Mr. Mason is available." Della left her sitting next to her desk while she went she went into Perry's office.

Perry looked up when the door opened. He saw the look on her face and started shaking his head. "I can't take on any new cases until I get back. I am not postponing my vacation with Bob again."

"I am not asking you to postpone your vacation, Perry but I think you should at least talk to this woman," Della said with urgency.

Perry knew Della well and could see that whomever this woman was she had had an effect on her. "Alright Della, bring her in."

Della left Perry's office. A minute later she returned with Rose Dove. "Rose, this is Mr. Mason."

Perry stood up and smiled. "Miss Dove, what can I do for you?"

Della told her to repeat what she had told her to Mason. Perry listened intently to her story. When she was finished he asked, "Do you have any idea who the police officer is and why he plans to kill him?"

"That is just it Mr. Mason, I simply do not know. I am scared. I cannot image what this police officer could have possibly done to make Tony want to kill him. Tony has always been a very gentle man. It does not make any sense," Rose said.

"Where is Tony right now?" Mason asked.

"I do not know. He left this morning. He told me he would be gone for about two weeks. He refused to tell me where he was going. I just did not know what to do. I have not been here in Los Angeles that long and I do not know hardly anyone. I read several articles about the trail you won in San Francisco defending the police commissioner there. I did not know who else to turn to." She began to cry again.

"What is Tony's last name?" Mason asked her.

"Castle," she answered.

"Della, call Paul and ask him to come in here," Perry instructed. Della reached for the phone and called Paul Drakes office. Moments later Paul's code knock sounded on the door. Della opened the door to let him in.

"Hello beautiful," Paul said with a smile. "Perry, you asked for me?"

"Miss Dove, this is Paul Drake. Mr. Drake is a private detective. Please repeat your story one more time for him." Rose Dove told Drake what she had shared with Della and Perry.

Paul looked at Perry and asked, "What is it you want me to do?"

Perry walked around to the front of his desk and sat on the edge of it. "Miss Dove, if you would like to leave me a retainer I will have Mr. Drake find Tony. He can keep an eye on him until I get back in town. Mr. Drake will make sure he stays out of trouble. When I come back, I will have a talk with him. We can determine what problem he has with the police officer."

"Oh thank you, Mr. Mason. I just did not know what to do." She reached in her purse and pulled out her checkbook. "Will a thousand dollars do for starters?" she asked.

"That will be fine," Mason said. He accepted her check and gave it Della. "Now I don't want you to worry. We will get to the bottom of this."

She thanked Perry one more time and then was escorted from the office by Della. When Della returned she asked her boss, "What do you think Perry?"

"I think we need to find out where this young man is and who the police officer he is planning on killing," Perry said. "Paul, find this man and put a tail on him. Find out if he is serious about going after this police officer. And find out who the officer is and why Tony Castle wants to kill him."

"Alright, Perry. How do I get in touch with you?" Paul asked.

"Della will know how and where to reach me," Perry answered. "By the way Della tells me you offered to entertain her while I am out of town."

Paul grinned. "You're the one leaving a beautiful woman behind to spend two weeks with a grumpy police detective. I thought I would keep her company while you are gone."

Perry laughed. "Just make sure you behave yourself."

Paul got up. He winked at Della. "Your place or mine, beautiful?"

Della chuckled. Perry pointed to the door, "OUT!" Paul left the office with a big smile on his face.

"What do you say we close up early? How does dinner and a cozy night at my place sound?" Perry said as he put his arm around Della's waist.

"Is that dinner out or are you cooking?" Della asked while she ran her finger down the lawyer's jaw.

"I'm cooking. I don't want to share you with anyone tonight," he said.

"In that case I accept. There is nothing on television tonight, though." Della ran her fingers though his hair.

"Oh, we'll think of something to do," Perry said as he teased her lips with his own before drawing her into a passionate kiss.

xxxxx

Tony Castle stood across the street from the San Francisco police department. He looked up to the fourth floor. He knew that is where Ironside lived. Tony was forced to wait. He could not get near Ironside at least not right now. He lived in a building that was full of cops. No, he could wait. Ironside was going on vacation with that lawyer from Los Angeles to Commissioner Randall's cabin up north. That was more to his liking. There would be no witnesses.

Ironside did not know it but his days were numbered.

xxxxx


	2. Chapter 2

Brothers in Arms

Chapter 2

Ironside wheeled his chair into his bedroom. For years, the chief's bedroom was located on the right hand side of the office. Recently one of the side rooms had been cleared and remodeled. It gave the chief a little more privacy. It had been Eve's suggestion to make the office seem more professional, at the same time give the chief an actual bedroom. Ironside had no objection and Commissioner Randall was forth coming with the funds for remodeling.

Mark was going through the chief's closet looking for casual warm clothes to pack in his suitcase. The chief had plenty of suits in his closet but what he had in suits, he lacked in casual wear. "Chief, maybe we should do some shopping. You could use warmer clothes than what you have in here for your trip."

Ironside looked in the closet and pulled out a couple pull over shirts. "Pack these, Mark. They will be plenty warm enough. Make sure you throw a sweater or two in there as well."

Mark took the shirts and packed them in his suitcase. He watched the expression on his boss's face. He seemed to be a million miles away. "Chief, this is none of my business but you did say that I of all people had a right to speak my mine where you are concerned so there is something I wanted to talk to you about. I was hoping you would feel free to talk to me but you have been silent."

Ironside already knew where Mark was going with this but his simply was not in the mood to talk about it. "Some other time, Mark. I need to get ready for my trip with Perry."

Mark would not be deterred. "I can talk and pack at the same time and so can you."

Knowing his aide was not going to drop the subject, Ironside looked and him and said, "Alright, what is it?"

"For the past six months you have not been yourself. I am not talking about your work. I am talking about you. You are distance with Eve, Ed and me. Your temper is shorter than usual and we have to drag you out of here and force you to go out and have a good time. I am not going to say you are depressed but at the very least, you are withdrawn from us. I am guessing the reason for all this is Barbara is on your mind." Mark waited for a response from his boss.

"It will pass Mark," He said in hopes Mark would drop the subject. However, his aide was not finished.

"Chief, she said she needed some time. You know when kids are involved with a divorce it takes longer. She did call once. I am sure she will call again. Give it more time. It might help to get your mind off it if you went back to going to ball games with us and stop turning down friends when they call to invite you out. Even the commissioner has noticed. You have turned him down several times when he's invited you out."

Ironside knew Mark was right and he guessed he just had not thought about the impact his mood would have on his staff. Mark, Eve and Ed were more important to him than just staff members. If Mark noticed his mood then certainly Eve and Ed did as well. Just this morning Eve made a jester toward him. "Your concern is duly noted and appreciated, Mark. Maybe this fishing trip with Perry is just what I need."

Mark nodded. He wanted to say more but he noticed the chief purposely left out any discussion of Barbara. Maybe the chief was right. A fishing trip with his brother might be just what he needed right now. He would let it go at that.

Neither of them heard the office door open. Ed strolled into the chief's bedroom. "All packed?" he asked.

"Just about," Mark said.

Eve poked her head in. "I am just in time."

"Just in time for what," Ironside asked.

Eve pushed her way past Ed. She was carrying several boxes from a local men's clothing store. She walked over and set them down in front of their boss. "You are going to need some casual clothes and something warmer to wear than your dress shirts. We took up a collection. We want you to be better dressed than Perry." She opened the boxes.

Ironside looked in the boxes. Eve had picked out several shirts and pants for cooler weather. He noticed a smaller box that had thick heavy socks. The final box had a pair of boots. "The socks and boots will keep your feet warm up in the mountains."

"I have no feeling in my feet, Miss Whitfield," Ironside pointed out.

"All the more reason why you should protect them," Mark said. "Just because they have no feeling doesn't mean they still can't get frostbite."

Ironside looked down at all the clothes his staff had generously purchased for his trip and felt guilty for his behavior over the last few months. Sometime he forgot they cared as much about him as he did about them. However, the chief always had a hard time with expressing his appreciation. "If you three could afford all this then I am paying you too much," he barked.

Eve and Ed smiled at one another. Mark knew his boss was touched by their thoughtfulness but habit was not going to allow him to show it. That was the typical Ironside trademark avoidance of expressing his feelings. "What do you say we all go out to dinner," Ed suggested.

Ironside looked up and said, "Only if you let me buy."

"I don't have a problem with that," Mark said. "Do you, Ed?"

"Not a problem with me. What about you Eve?" Ed joked.

"I think it's a marvelous idea." She grinned. "How about prime rib, chief? We have not had that in a long time." Mark and Ed voiced their approval.

"I was thinking more on the lines of hamburgers and French fries," Ironside said with a twinkle in his eye.

It was not lost on Ed, Eve or Mark that the play side of their boss had finally returned. "You really want hamburgers?" Eve mocked disappointment.

"What's wrong with hamburgers?" Ironside said as he raised his voice.

"Oh, nothing." Eve replied.

"Nothing," Ed and Mark said together.

"Good," Ironside said. Then with a grin he added, "Prime rib it is."

Ed, Eve and Mark were all smiles, happy to have lifted the chief out of the funk he had been in.

xxxxx

Perry and Della sat by the fireplace in Perry's apartment sipping bourbon. Perry had his arm around Della while she had laid her head on his massive chest. Neither spoke, content to be in the others company. Perry's dinner had been delicious and both of them had over eaten. Finally, Della broke the silence. "Don't you think you should get some rest? You have to be up awfully early in the morning to catch your flight to San Francisco."

"I am resting," Perry replied.

"I meant sleeping," she chided him.

"I'm not tired. Besides, I can sleep on the plane. Bob's van is equipped for him to drive it so he can drive part of the way. I just want to sit here with you and enjoy the solitude and your company," Perry said.

"I called Robert's office early this morning. Eve answered the phone. She said he has not been in the best of moods lately. She thinks it's because he has not heard back from Barbara,"

"I know," Perry said. "Ed has told me the same thing when I have called there. Barbara said she wanted some time to deal with the divorce. Bob will just have to be patient. I intend to get his mind off of that for a couple weeks."

"It will be good for him to get away. Dealing with that serial killer must have taken a lot out of him," Della said.

"He's pretty tough, Della. I do not think we have to worry about him. He will work everything out in time. Now enough about him. What do you want to do for the rest of the evening?" He said with a mischievous grin.

Della laughed. "Why don't we do something we will not be able to do for the next two weeks?"

"That is just what I had in mind." Perry took Della's hand and guided her down the hall.

xxxxx

Tony Castle walked around Dennis Randall's cabin. With a flashlight and shovel in hand, he went around to the back. Castle found the crawl space. He shined a flashlight into it. Using the shovel, he began digging out the bottom of the crawl space. For twenty minutes, he continued digging. Once he was satisfied, he had dug far enough back to be under the living room he stopped and went back to the truck.

Castle lowered the back door of his pickup. He pulled out a container. It held a gas that would put people to sleep. Castle reached further into the truck for a remote device and a long skinny tube. He then headed back to Randall's cabin. When he arrived, he went to work in the crawl space connecting the remote device to the container of odorless gas. Castle then connected a long tube to the container. He shoved the tubing into a hole that went into the cabin. The first part of his plan was now in place.

xxxxx

Ed arrived at the airport just as Mason's plane touched down. He headed for the baggage department to pickup up his passenger. After waiting twenty minutes, he spotted Perry Mason standing at one of the carousels waiting for his baggage. Ed walked toward his boss's brother.

"Hello, Perry," Ed said with a smile.

"Ed, it's good to see you," Perry smiled as he offered his hand. Ed shook his hand and Perry asked, "How's he doing by the way?"

"He's perked up a bit. I think he is really looking forward to this trip with you. He took us all out to dinner last night and actually sprung for prime rib," Ed answered.

"Prime rib! All I have ever gotten out of him is….." Perry started to say.

"Chili," Ed interrupted with a grin.

Perry's bag rounded the carousel and he pulled it off. "Shall we go?"

The two men headed for Ed's car. Ed took Perry's bag. Once it was placed in the trunk of the car, they settled into Ed's vehicle for the trip to the chief's office/residence.

"How was the flight?" Ed asked him.

"Oh you know, if you've been on one commercial flight you've been on them all," Perry answered. While looking straight ahead Perry inquired, "So has Bob heard from Barbara yet?"

Ed's expression darkened. "Once, but he wasn't in the office. She refused to leave a phone number. She said she would call back. She hasn't as of yet. I cannot help but wish she had never shown up in San Francisco. Every time he has had some time to heal the wound gets opened again," Ed said with bitterness.

"She called once. She will call again. She's been through a lot too, Ed." Perry said in Barbara's defense. "You would not want to deprive him of happiness with her, would you?"

"No, Perry. But I would like for her to show up and provide that happiness instead of leaving him in the lurch." Ed complained.

"Give it time, Ed. Bob is a strong individual. He will live through it. At any rate, I am going to see to it that he has a good time for the next two weeks and forgets about it for a while. However, if she calls you give her Randall's cabin phone number," Perry requested.

"I would not do anything else. You have not been on the receiving end of the chief's lectures when we try to decide what's best for him," Ed said.

Perry smiled. "Sounds a bit like what happens to me when I do the same for Della." Their conversation turned to cases Perry had handled in court and Ed told him all about the Moonlight Killer case. Before they knew it, they were pulling into the police garage by the elevator to the chief's office.

xxxxx

Paul Drake entered the police station and headed for Lt. Arthur Tragg's office. His secretary announced him to Lt. Tragg who immediately cleared him to come in. Paul entered Tragg's office. Hamilton Burger was sitting in front of Tragg's desk. It was obvious to Paul that he had interrupted something.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your company, Mr. Drake?" Tragg said.

"Lieutenant, I was hoping you would run this guy through the system and let me know if he has a record. If so, what for and has he served prison time." Drake handed Tragg a sheet of paper with Tony Castles name, description and current address.

Tragg took the paper. "May I ask why or is this something you are doing for Perry in which case I am supposed to do it without being told a thing."

Paul sat down in the chair next to Burger. "I am trying to prevent a possible attempt on a cop's life, Lieutenant."

Burger looked at Drake. It was clear from the look on Drake's face that he was being straight with the lieutenant. "What cop?"

"I do not know that yet. I have to find this guy to find out," Paul said.

"How do you know he is planning on killing a cop?" Tragg said as he sat forward.

"Some information has come to light that indicates it might be a possibility. My client is trying to prevent that from happening," Paul said.

"Is Perry your client in this case?" Hamilton asked.

"You know I can't tell you that," Paul said.

"Well, just exactly what can you tell us?" Tragg said with irritation in his voice.

"Only that there is someone who thinks it might be a possibility. That person does not know who the cop is or even if the cop is from Los Angeles or elsewhere. I have nothing concrete. We are simply being cautious. If we discover there is something to this you will certainly be the first to know," Paul insisted.

Tragg looked into Drake's eyes. He read people quite well and he had no doubt Drake was telling the truth. "Alright, Drake. I will check him out and get back to you. "

"Thanks, Lieutenant. The sooner the better in case there is something to this," Paul said as he got up and left the room.

"So what do you think?" Hamilton asked.

"I think he is working for Perry and one of Perry's clients provided the information. Perry is trying to be sure the cop is protected if it turns out to be true," Tragg said.

"That was my take also," Hamilton said. "I agree with Drake on one thing he said."

"What's that?" Drake said.

"The sooner the better," Hamilton responded.

xxxxx

The door to Ironside's office opened. Ed walked in with Perry Mason. Perry came down the ramp. His brother turned his wheel chair toward him. "So Della finally kicked you out of the office for a little R&R, huh?" Ironside said with a grin.

"Look who talking, I don't doubt you needed a little push by Eve, Ed and Mark to get you out of yours," Perry return the grin. He walked over to Ironside and the two brothers shook hands. "It sure is good to see you Bob."

"I had Mark load plenty of bourbon into the van. If we don't catch any fish we can life on the bourbon," Ironside quipped.

Eve noticed immediately how quickly the chief's attitude had changed for the better as soon as his brother had entered the room. This is just what the chief needed, she thought.

Mark grabbed Perry's bag and said, "I'll just load this in the van." He disappeared out the office door.

"Sit down, Perry. Eve, get him a cup of coffee, will you please." Ironside called out. Eve immediately headed to the kitchen to comply. "So tell me, how's Della?"

"She's fine Bob. She was already issuing orders in the office when she pushed me out." Perry took the cup of coffee from Eve as she brought it to the table.

"I have a feeling she runs that office all the time," Ironside said while sipping hot coffee.

Perry laughed. "That she does! Hey, it just occurred to me this is the first time I have seen you in anything but a suit. I was beginning to think you lived in those things."

"I do, most of the time. I do not get to take vacations very often. Besides, these clothes are new. My staff was afraid I would be underdressed around a high priced lawyer such as you," Ironside teased. 

Do not blame me you decided to become a cop. You could have studied to be a lawyer," Perry told him.

"If I had you would not have found it so easy in court," Ironside said.

Ironside's staff watched the playful exchange between the two brothers and all three agreed silently that this is just what the chief needed. They knew he would enjoy his vacation with Perry.

"Mark, how about some lunch before we leave?" Ironside suggested to his aide.

"Already in the works chief," Mark called out from the kitchen. A few minutes late Mar brought out club sandwiches, chips and soft drinks for everyone.

Ironside looked at the Coke in front of him. "I know we have something stronger then this in the kitchen," he said to Mark.

"It is packed for when you reached Commissioner Randall's cabin. Remember you both are driving this afternoon," Eve reminded her boss. "You would not want to get pull over, Chief, for driving under the influence."

"I have a good lawyer," Ironside barked.

Mark put a Coke down in front of Perry. "He can't bail you out of jail if he's in there with you."

After finishing lunch, Perry stood up. "We better get on the road Bob. It will take us quite a while to get there."

Everyone said his or her goodbyes as Eve kissed the Ironside on the cheek. "Don't worry about the office chief. We will take care of things."

Perry and Ironside went down to the police garage. Ironside pushed the button to the lift and was raised into the van. Perry got behind the wheel and pulled the van out into traffic.

Neither man had any idea their vacation would turn into a nightmare.

xxxx


	3. Chapter 3

Brother in Arms

Chapter 3

Della stood in the middle of Perry's office. This is silly, she thought. Perry has barely been gone a day and she was feeling alone. She knew how much Perry needed this time away from the office. Two bruising trials in San Francisco and several here in Los Angeles had taken a toll on him. He had been so excited about spending time with Robert. Up until now, they had worked together at a feverish pace to end the drug trafficking in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. Perry had been shot twice and knifed while in San Francisco and both he and Robert had been shot at numerous times.

Their workload here in the office had been no different. One case after another seemed to be the norm anymore. Everybody who needed a criminal attorney wanted Perry Mason defending him or her. They no more finished one case and someone appeared in his office pleading with him to take their case. Della did not mind the fast pace Perry set for them but she knew the late hours and lack of sleep had caught up with him. So when he finished his latest case Della had insisted he and Robert stop putting off their fishing trip and actually get out of their offices and go. With the help of Robert's staff pushing him out the door, Della did the same with Perry. She knew she did the right thing after she saw the excitement Perry displayed about the trip.

Then why did she have such a strange feeling. She had wanted this for Perry. He deserved the rest and relaxation. Della just could not shake the feeling something was wrong. This is ridiculous, she thought. She was just missing Perry. They were rarely ever separated these days for more than a few hours. Two weeks away from him was a long time. Stop it! Della told herself. It's two weeks. She would talk to him every few days and he would get the rest he so desperately needed. It was a chance for the two brothers to really get to know each other outside of their professions.

Della had been so lost in thought it took a few seconds to realize Paul's code knock was sounding on the door. "Come in, Paul."

The door open and Paul Drake's tall, handsome figure entered the office. "Hello, beautiful! I thought you would probably be moping around with Perry leaving this morning. So I have decided to take you out to lunch to take your mind off him."

Della smiled. Just like Paul to know what she or Perry was thinking at any given time. "Perry will not be please to know you are moving in on me the minute he leaves town," she teased.

Paul grinned, "He's not here to stop me. I will worry about the consequences when he gets back. Now how about closing up shop for a while and we will grab a bite to eat. Maybe we won't even return to work."

Della laughed. "Alright, Mr. Drake, let's get some lunch."

Paul offered his arm and Della took it. They stop by the Gertie's desk. "We are going to lunch."

Gertie smiled. She was please Mr. Drake had stopped by to take her to lunch. The first day away from Mr. Mason would be the hardest for her. "Enjoy your lunch," she told them.

Della left the office with Paul. For some reason she just could not shake the uneasy feeling within her.

xxxxx 

Perry had been driving for some time. He and Bob Ironside had been discussing everything from politics to current events to the cases both of them had found themselves immerged in over the years. The communication flowed easily between them with both enjoying the others company.

"You never did tell me what you thought of my, I mean our father," Perry said.

"I pride myself in reading people well and William Mason is a fine man," Ironside said. "I was touch by how quickly he accepted me as his son. I was equally impressed by how your mother treated me when I spoke with her on the phone."

"Dad is proud to know you are his son. The entire family is looking forward to meeting you over the Thanksgiving holiday," Perry said. "I was wondering what Ed, Eve and Mark will be doing for the holiday."

"Eve's parents will be in Europe so she will spend Thanksgiving with Ed, Mark, and Mark's aunt. I usually spend it with them so this will be a change for them as well," Ironside said.

"My mother thinks they should come and spend it with us. They could fly out with you. There is plenty of room for everyone between my parents' home and mine let alone my brother and sisters," Perry said.

"I'll ask them. They might enjoy getting away at that," Ironside said.

"Bob, there is one thing I have to demand on this trip," Perry said.

"And what would that be," Ironside asked,

"I brought a deck of cards. We are going to play poker. It has to be settled between us who is the better poker player," Perry insisted.

Ironside grunted. "We don't need to play another game to know the answer to that. I am the better player."

"One hand doesn't prove you are better. Besides I actually had you beat. My hand was better than yours," Perry pointed out.

"Counselor, you know very well it makes no difference who has the better hand when you fold your cards and you did fold," Ironside said.

"You did not play fair," Perry complained.

"What are you talking about? I simply raised the stakes and you did not trust your hand."

"Your stakes were too high! Just how was I supposed to gamble away Della? Not only would I have lost your cooperation but you raised the stakes to give up Della to you." Perry shook his head. "The stakes were too high. I would never give up Della, not even hypothetically," Perry laughed.

"Don't you think I knew that," Ironside grinned. "You let me bluff you. That's the name of the game."

Perry laughed. Well it will not work this time. I intend to beat you. And this time we will be playing for cash."

"Cash!" Ironside said. "I live on a fixed income."

Perry laughed. "When I get through with you it will be less than fixed."

"Give it your best shot counselor. It will be a pleasure relieving a big shot lawyer of his money," Ironside said with confidence.

xxxxx

Lt. Arthur Tragg read the report Andy had just set on his desk. He did not like what he was reading. If Tony Castle was determined to kill a cop then the cop was in serious trouble. Castle had been a member of Special Forces in the United States Armed Forces…Black Ops. He had numerous important kills. Castle had been one of the top in his field. If the job was messy, it was assigned to Castle and his team. Castle was a killing machine and the military used him to the fullest.

For ten years, he had been the best there was until he disobeyed an order. He had been ordered to take out the head of a terrorist government. The leader was scheduled to meet with the head of another government. Castle was to take out just the one leader but he considered the other just as much of a terrorist as the other. He did not understand why the United States government could order the death of one yet protect the other. How could he be considered an ally of the United States? Castle decide to kill both leaders. For what was supposed to look like an accident, turned out to be the slaughter of both leaders. The governments of each country pointed the blame at the other. It began a full-scale war.

Castle had been court-martialed and discharged from the military with a dishonorable discharge. He was unable to adjust to civilian life. He was in constant trouble, in and out of jail. He had not held down a job for five years. The CIA had reason to believe he had become a paid assassin. They had lost track of him nearly six months ago and had not been able to locate him since.

Lt. Tragg completed his reading and picked up the phone. He dialed Paul Drake's office. When Drake's secretary came on the line Tragg said, "This is Lt. Tragg of the LAPD. I would like to speak with Mr. Drake."

"I am sorry lieutenant but Mr. Drake is not in. May I leave him a message, sir?" She asked.

"It is important I speak with him. Do you know where I can find him?" Tragg asked.

"No sir. I do not. He left the building with Della Street from Mr. Mason's office. He did not say when he would be back. You might try his cell phone," she suggested.

Tragg thanked her and hung up the phone. He reached in his pocket and removed his cell phone. Looking through his contact, Tragg pushed Drake's name. He listened and few seconds later Drake's voice mail told him to leave a message. "Paul, it's Lt. Tragg. I need to talk to you. I have the information you asked for and it is not good. Call me as soon as you can. We need to find out who the cop is that Castle is after and we better do it fast or we are going to have a dead cop on our hands." Tragg hung up the cell phone and returned it to his pocket.

xxxxx

Paul Drake looked at Della over the dinner table and said, "Come on Della, it is only two weeks."

Della realized she had been daydreaming. "I am sorry Paul. I do not mean to be such poor company."

"You could never be poor company beautiful," Paul said playfully. "I do sense there is something bothering you besides Perry's absence."

"It's nothing, Paul."

"Come on Della, something is bothering you," Paul said.

Della hesitated and then said, "It's hard to explain. I have a feeling I simply cannot shake."

Paul leaned forward. "What kind of a feeling? Perry?"

"Yes, Perry." Della tried to get her thoughts together so Paul would not think she had lost her mind. "Paul, I have a feeling Perry is in trouble and I have no reason to believe that he is. I know it is silly but I just cannot help it."

"Della, I don't think Perry is the only one that has been overworked lately. There is no reason to believe Perry is in any trouble. He went up to Commissioner Randall's cabin with Bob Ironside. He is with a cop. He is fine. You are letting your imagination run away with you. Now I am sure, you need to get out of the office and relax. Why don't I take you to a movie this afternoon and then we will have dinner somewhere? Tomorrow I want to see you call some of your friends, you know the ones you ignore when Perry is around, and go out and have a good time."

Della knew Paul was right. She and Perry were fortunate to have such a good friend in Paul. She smile and said, "You're right but I get to pick the movie. I am tired of the war pictures you and Perry pick out all the time."

"Oh great, that means a chick flick," Paul laughed. From within his pocket his cell phone rang. He reached in and withdrew the device. "Drake," he spoke into the phone. He listened for a moment and said," Okay, I will give Tragg a call." He hung up his cell phone.

"What is it Paul?" Della asked.

"Tragg called my office." He looked at his cell phone. It showed a miss call from Tragg. Then he remembered he had set his phone to send Tragg's call directly to voice mail while he was working Perry's last case. They had been avoiding Tragg in order to protect Perry's client. Paul called Tragg. When he answered Paul said, "Hi lieutenant. Do you have that information for me?"

Tragg gave him a rundown on what he had found out. The longer Tragg talked the deeper the frown on Paul's face became. After Tragg hung up Paul sat quietly trying to get his thoughts together.

"What's the matter, Paul? Della asked concerned.

"There is a cop out there in a hell of a lot of trouble," Paul said.

xxxxx

Commissioner Randall entered Ironside's office. "While the cat's away…."

Ed watched the commissioner come down the ramp. "We're not playing, commissioner. We working on a couple cases we have not been able to spend much time with. The chief wants them solved. So we are working them while he is gone. What brings you here?"

"We have a missing dog, Sergeant," Commissioner Randall said. "Mark, any coffee over there?"

Mark poured a cup of coffee and brought it over to the Commissioner Randall. "Thanks, Mark," he said as he sipped the coffee. "You cleaned the pot again, didn't you?"

"I have no desire to die of a disease even if the chief does," Mark said.

Randall laughed. "I bet Bob threw a fit."

"He wasn't happy," Mark said.

Eve sat down at the table. "You are not going to have us playing dog catcher again, are you Commissioner?"

"Do you remember a man by the name of Dunlap? He runs a facility for training dogs…guard dogs and attack dogs."

"Isn't that the place where the chief trained with one of those dogs? He still visits that dog now and then," Ed said.

"That's the one," Randall said. "A dog has come up missing, a dog by the name of Otto."

Eve looked at the commissioner with surprise, "Why, that's the chief's dog."

"That's right," Commissioner Randall confirmed. "I thought you would like to locate the dog before the chief gets back here. If he finds out his prized pooch is missing he is going blow his stack if we have not made some attempt to locate him."

"When did they discover he was missing," Mark asked.

"This morning. He was in his kennel when the kennel help left last night. When they got in this morning, he simply was not there. The door to his kennel was closed. There was no trace of the dog anywhere on the grounds. It seems he just vanished. Anyway, Dunlap came to my office this morning when he found out Bob was out of town. He wanted Bob's help finding the Otto since he knows he is so fond of the dog. I told him you people would be happy to take on the case until the Bob gets back to take over. So Ed, I would like you to head this up," Randall said.

"We will get right on it, commissioner." Ed stood up. "The other cases will just have to wait. I don't want to be the one to tell the chief his dog is missing when he gets back here."

Randall finished his coffee. "Since the case is in good hands I will inform Mr. Dunlap that you will be around to speak with him." Randall got up and left the office.

Brown looked at his two friends. "We have two weeks to find Otto. If we haven't found him by then we draw straws for who gets to tell the chief the dog is missing."

"Forget the straws," Mark said. "Let's find the dog so the chief doesn't take a bite out of one of us."

xxxxx

Meanwhile…..

Tony Castle had set twenty two animal traps around the Dennis Randall's cabin. He staggered them and placed them within a quarter of a mile to the cabin. Afterwards Castle covered them with leaves or any pieces of terrain he could gather up. He had nearly thirty more to go.

Earlier he had rigged the commissioner's fishing boat to blow up by remote control. Ironside would not be leaving by that boat. If Castle had his way, he would be swimming with the fish not catching them on a fishing pole. Castle headed back to the cabin.

When he reached the cabin door, he jimmied the lock and entered. Castle headed directly for the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and removed its entire contents and loaded it into a box he had placed in the cabin earlier. He then went over to the cupboards and proceeded to remove everything in them as well. Loading it into the box, he picked it up and set it out on the porch. Castle went back into the cabin opened the silverware drawer and removed all the kitchen knives as well as forks, butcher knives and anything else he could find he perceived as a weapon.

Castle entered the bath room and ran an inch of water into the tub. Using wire he ran it down into the tub and then hooked the wire into the electrical outlet at the floor. He covered the wire on the floor with the bath mat. He allowed the water to sizzle with electricity. After all he did not want to electrocute Ironside, give him something to think about. He opened the medicine cabinet and removed the shaving razors.

Castle went out door, open the telephone box and cut the wires. He went over to the water shut off and turned it to off. Castle headed back to his pickup truck and took a ladder out and carried it back to the cabin. Setting the ladder against the cabin, he grabbed an over large tarp he had placed there earlier. Castle climbed the ladder with the tarp in hand. When he reached the top of the ladder, he climbed up on to the roof. Watching his footing carefully he placed the tarp over the chimney, tying a rope around the chimney to hold the tarp in place.

He went back into the cabin and went into the utility room. He removed the fan motor from the furnace and threw it into the box on the porch with the other things he had collected from the cabin. Castle took the box, headed back to his truck and reached for six rifles that were laying on the flatbed. He then pulled out stands for the rifles. For the next hour he set them to surround the cabin keeping them just inside the woods out of sight. He loaded the weapons and hooked them into his remote control system. He used collected brush from the woods to cover and conceal the rifles.

Once again Castle returned to his pickup up truck. He pulled out small cameras and remote control system based on movement. He placed two cameras in a 'v' shape so that they all pointed toward the camera at the other end of the cabin. The porch went around the entire cabin. The height of the cameras was staggered to maximize their coverage. Satisfied they covered as much of the porch as possible. Castle completed his work by disguising the cameras as fancy outdoor light fixtures.

Castle made one last trip to his truck. He got in and headed out to the perimeter of Randall's property. He set explosive devices to keep out anyone who might decide to come help Ironside and Mason.

This was not the type of assassination he set up overseas, he thought. It was far from professional but it would serve the purpose. He was now ready for Ironside. The big shot detective would pay for what he had done with his life and that of his brother's.

xxxxx


	4. Chapter 4

**Brothers in Arms**

Sgt. Ed Brown took his eye off the road for a moment to glance at Officer Eve Whitfield sitting in the passenger seat beside him. Eve seemed to be a million miles away as she starred out the window of Ed's car. He could not help but wonder what was going on in her mind. "We have to find the chief's dog," Ed said in an attempt to bring her back from where ever she was.

Eve turned her head. She realized she had not spoken to Ed since she got into his car. "I am sorry Ed. I did not mean to ignore you. I was just thinking about the chief. This vacation is just what he needs. We sometimes forget he is not invulnerable. He puts in as many hours as we do. He stays up all hours of the night when we are on a case. I have noticed how tired he has been lately not to mention his temper has been shorter than usual."

Ed thought about their boss. He knew Eve was right. He too had noticed how tired the chief had been. "We know how much he loves to fish and Commissioner Randall's place is certainly great for fishing. He and Perry have become very close. They will do plenty of fishing and the chief will be forced to relax for a change. There will be no cases for him to worry about. He'll be fine, Eve."

"But he will have time to think about Barbara," Eve worried.

"I have already had that discussion with Perry," Ed said with disgust, "Perry said to give her time. He believes she will call the chief."

"I hope so Ed, for his sake. I don't know how much more the chief can take where she is concerned. I just wish he would lean on us more. He has to know how much we care about him."

"You know the chief. He keeps his feelings to himself but he knows we are there for him if he needs us. For now I just want to find his dog before he gets back," Ed said.

Eve pointed to the left. "There is the kennel up there on the left." Ed slowed his sedan and turned into the driveway. Upon reaching the main gate, he pulled to a stop. He and Eve headed for the main door of the kennel. Ed opened the door and stood back so that Eve could enter in front of him.

A teenage boy approached them. "May I help you folks," he asked.

"My name is Sgt. Brown and this is Officer Whitfield. We are here to see Mr. Dunlap."

"Yes sir, he is expecting you." He walked toward an office and motioned for Ed and Eve to follow him. When they arrived in the office, the boy offered them a seat and disappeared through the door. Several minutes later Dunlap walked through the door.

Ed and Eve stood up. "Please sit down," Dunlap said. He walked around the desk and sat down as well. "I appreciate you coming out so fast. I was rather upset when I found out Chief Ironside was out of town. I was hoping for him to head the investigation of Otto's disappearance. Commission Randall has assured me that Chief Ironside would trust the two of you to step into his place until he returns."

"He certainly would not want us to wait until he gets back to get started," Eve said. "Mr. Dunlap, do you have any idea how Otto got out of his kennel?"

He shook his head, "His kennel gate was closed. We only know he disappeared sometime in the night."

Ed leaned forward in his chair, "Is there someone that might have a reason to steal the dog?" Ed asked.

"Not that I am aware of," Dunlap said but added, "He is a highly trained dog. Anyone up to no good might think he would be an asset."

"Every time the chief visits, Otto obeys him over our man. He has really bonded to Chief Ironside. If he was taken by someone looking to break the law such as robbery could they control Otto?" Eve asked.

"Otto will obey only two people. One works here and the other is Chief Ironside. And he obeys the chief over our man."

"Has anyone expressed an interest in him lately?" Ed inquired.

"No, no one…..wait, no that is not right. There was one man that wanted to buy him from us but we refused. He offered us over six thousand dollars for Otto. I instructed our people to turn him down. Charlie did not like the looks of the guy and the dogs here are not just pets you can place anywhere. Charlie got the feeling he was not looking for a pet. If he were, he would not have come to us. However, no one has seen him since. Besides, if we were to sell him I would offer him to the chief first since he has worked with him and is so fond of him," Dunlap answered.

"Would Charlie be willing to describe this man to a police sketch artist," Eve asked.

"Absolutely, if you think it might help to find him," Dunlap said.

"Has anyone touched his cage since he showed up missing?" Ed inquired.

"No and I know that for sure because I have not allowed anyone near it except me," Dunlap answered.

Ed turned to Eve, "Call for a finger print team just in case the man has a record." Eve stepped away from the desk and immediately called police headquarters. "While you are at it get one of the men who are experts at tracking just in case he was simply let out of the cage and turned loose."

"He would never have left the premises," Dunlap said. "He has been trained not to unless instructed to do so."

"We have to check all possibilities no matter how impossible they might seem," Ed told him. Dunlap nodded his head. "We won't keep you any longer but please authorize the officers to enter the property."

Dunlap reached for the phone.

Xxxx

"How much further is this place, Bob?" Perry asked his older brother.

"About an hour, we are almost there," Ironside answered.

Perry looked over at his Ironside. "So how have you been….really?" Perry asked him.

"Sounds like you have been talking to my staff," Ironside said.

Perry shrugged. "Ed is a bit concerned about you as is Eve and Mark. They think you are moping around too much and not getting out with friends."

"I get out when I want to," Ironside said, his voice a bit short.

"Easy Bob, I am just checking up on you. Isn't that what a brother is supposed to do?" Perry said keeping his voice calm.

Ironside looked straight out the front window. "Alright, you have something to say so say it and let's get it over with so we can enjoy our vacation."

"Give her time. She will call you. In the meantime keep yourself busy," Perry advised.

"I should not have let her go in the first place," Ironside said.

"You could not have stopped her, Bob. Let her deal with the divorce. Give her time. She will be back," Perry told his older brother. "Now, pull over and I'll drive the last hour."

Ironside knew he could easily drive the final hour of their trip but he also knew Perry would insist in driving so he pulled the van over. With Perry's help, Ironside moved over to the passenger seat and Perry got behind the wheel. Pulling the van back onto the road, Perry glanced over at his brother. "Are you still brooding?"

Ironside grunted. "I never brood. Listen Perry, I know you are right. It is just so hard waiting. That is why I have been looking forward to this vacation. I am going to beat you at everything we do. If you catch twenty fish, I will catch twenty-five. If you win five poker games, I will win ten. There is nothing I can't beat you at…except for a foot race," Ironside grinned.

Now that is the Bob Ironside I have gotten to know, Mason thought. "You think so, huh? You cannot intimidate me as you do those cops at headquarters. You have met your match at both those activities. And I even going to beat you at downing bourbon," Perry said.

"Give it your best shot counselor. If this was a court of law you would be primed for losing you first case,"

"I don't lose court cases," Perry pointed out.

"And I always get my man," Ironside boasted. Both men looked at each other and laughed. Yes, this was going to be a great vacation, Ironside thought.

xxxxx

Panting, he looked out the window and wined. His canine breath fogged up the windows. Otto pawed the door. He turned around and jumped into the driver's seat. He placed his wet nose on the window, looking for the stranger that brought him here. The window fogged up. Otto put his head in the air and sniffed. The German Shepherd was hungry. He could not detect anything that smelled like food. All he could do was wait for the stranger to come back.

Otto sensed the stranger was an enemy. He was not his master. Otto remembered something that stung his shoulder while in his own territory. He woke up in unfamiliar surroundings. His instincts told him to attack this man but something was stopping him each time he tried. He did not trust him. Otto just wanted to go home. He missed his own bed. He missed his friend in the rolling chair.

Otto looked out both side windows one more time, curled up in the passenger seat, and went to sleep.

xxxxx

Dunlap entered Chief Ironside's office and walked down the ramp. "Sgt. Brown, I got a message you wanted to see me."

Brown looked up from the table he was sitting at. He picked up an object from the table and handed it to Dunlap.

Dunlap looked at the object. "It looks like a dart of some kind." He handed it back to Ed. "What's this have to do with my missing dog?"

Eve walked over from the chief's desk where she had been working. "It is a dart Mr. Dunlap."

Ed handed him the other portion of the dart. Holding it up so that Dunlap could see it, he said, "This contained a substance that if shot into the dog would knock him out almost immediately. This is how our man got Otto out of his cage.

"So he was deliberately taken, then?" Dunlap asked.

"We believe he was. We got a break. One of our officers checked with your neighbors. The woman, Michelle Worthington said she heard the dogs barking abut one o'clock in the morning. They woke her up. She said they were barking like crazy for about half an hour. She saw a pickup truck go by her home, headed in the direction away from the kennel. As you know, her house is very close to the road. She was able to read the first two numbers of the license

plate."

"In the dark?" Dunlap questioned.

"She said he stopped the truck momentarily beside the billboard. She was able to see the plate with the light of the billboard."

"At that distance? I don't care how close her house is to the road. That is too far for her to see the plate on that truck," Dunlap insisted.

"She said she could see it. I am having Eve check the first two numbers now," Ed said.

"Eve? What happened to the dark haired girl that came to the kennel with Ironside?"

She still works with us. Right now, she is on vacation. Eve took a long leave of absence and now she is back. Fran worked most of the cases for a while but now the chief uses both of them."

Dunlap nodded in acknowledgement. "How are you going to be able to tell who that license plate belongs to with just two numbers?" He inquired.

"We won't but it will certainly narrow it down. We can start checking all trucks with those first two numbers."

"Just how many is….. _all_ of them?" Dunlap asked not really wanting to know the answer.

"You don't want to know," Ed answered. "Anyway, I have asked the commissioner for a few extra officers to start checking them along with Eve. Even Mark is checking them.

"How long is this going to take?" Dunlap looked at Ed waiting for an answer.

"As long as it takes. We will check them as fast as we can. Right now, we don't have much else to go on except this dart. That is what I wanted to talk to you about. Have you ever used these before?" Ed picked up the dart and handed it to Dunlap.

"I have come in contact with them. Why do you ask?" Dunlap said cautiously.

"We need to find out where this came from. It could help lead us to the man who took Otto." Ed stood up, walked to the kitchen. He grabbed the pot of coffee and two cups and then headed back to the table. After pouring coffee for Dunlap and himself, he sat back down.

Dunlap decided he had to trust Ed with all of his knowledge. Holding back from him would not help find Otto. "I don't have to check. I know where they came from," Dunlap said. These are special forces issue."

Surprised Ed asked, "Are you telling me they are used by the armed forces?

"That's right. Only when their target is hit by one, they don't get back up." Dunlap threw the dart back on the table. "I served in the special forces myself. I worked with war dogs.

"Mr. Dunlap, is it possible that someone who worked with you took Otto?" Ed asked.

Dunlap picked the dart back up and studied it before answering. "Sergeant, it might be worth our while to check out where some of the guys I did work with are at the present time."

"I couldn't agree more. Do you still train war dogs, Mr. Dunlap?" Ed asked.

"Yes. I have been training them for the armed forces ever since I got out. I do not publicize that part of the business. Two of the guys working with the dogs worked with me in the service training dogs. When we all got out I decided to start this business and they came to work for me. As far as I am concerned, they are the best in the business. And before you ask, I trust them completely. I have no doubt you and the chief checked them out when our guard dogs were involved with the jewelry heist."

Ed smiled. "Yes we did. We found you and your men to be completely clean. I can't believe we missed the fact that you train war dogs," Ed said.

"You didn't. The chief found out. I asked him not to tell you about it since the army are the only one that is supposed to know. The chief steered you away from that. I am only telling you now because it could be the key to Otto's disappearance. That dart points in that direction." Dunlap finished his coffee and pushed the cup toward the middle of the table.

"Were there any guys training dogs you didn't trust or approve of their methods?" Ed asked.

"Of course, there were several of them. Let's see, there was David Donaldson. As far as I am concerned, he was cruel to the dogs. They can be trained without coming close to killing them. There was one guy in particular I did not like and disagreed with command on having him assigned to us for a time. His name was Castle. Can't remember his first name though."

"Do you still have connections with the army? I would like to check into this guy and find out where he is now. Possibly he went into the dog training business for himself," Ed suggested.

Dunlap shook his head back and forth. I doubt it. I heard he was a trained killer. I doubt if he ever left the service. There is not much call for a trained killer in normal society."

"Is there someone we can talk to about him?" Ed asked again.

Dunlap thought for a moment. "I do believe there is. Let's go for a ride, sergeant." Dunlap got up and headed for the door. Ed hurried to catch up.

xxxxx

Perry drove the van down a winding road. Robert Ironside pointed to a smaller road to Perry's left and said, "That is it. That is the road that will take us to Dennis's cabin."

Perry turned the van to the left and immediately slowed it to a near crawl. The road in front of them was full of potholes. There was no cement or ash fault out here. Perry knew that at this altitude the air was noticeably thinner. He looked over at his older brother but it did not seem to be bothering him. Mason kept the van moving, driving all over the narrow road searching for smoother ground. He certainly did not want to do any damage to Bob's vehicle. He would never hear the end of it. Especially since, he had insisted on driving. Off in the distance Perry could see the cabin. The climb up to the cabin had seemed to take forever. You would think the commissioner could have found a place that was easier to get to.

Ironside looked out the window and surveyed the area as Mason brought the van closer and closer to the cabin. It was dusk and visibility had dropped considerably. He senses became immediately alert when he saw lights on in the cabin. Apparently his younger brother had noticed the same thing.

"Commissioner Randall did not strike me as the type of man who would be careless enough to leave the lights on when leaving the cabin," Perry pointed out.

"He's not." Ironside's instincts switched into full gear. He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out his service revolver and a box of ammunition.

Perry watched him. "Do you ever go anywhere without that?"

"Actually quite often, but then I am usually with Ed, Eve, or Fran who carry a gun all of the time. I do bring one when they are not with me. I did not figure you would have one," Ironside said.

"Why would you need one up here, Bob?" Perry asked.

"I have made a lot of enemies over the past twenty five years. You have already gotten a close up look how many times I have been shot at and just lately," Ironside answered.

"Say no more. That light on in the cabin makes me uneasy. I am glad you brought the gun. There is probably a logical answer for it. The commissioner probably had someone turn the light on for us," Perry surmised.

Ironside placed his hand on Perry's arm. "Stop the van!" He said.

Perry looked over at Ironside and brought the van to a stop. What's wrong, Bob?"

"Look at the chimney." Ironside pointed.

"I can't see anything but a shadow," Perry said.

"Look again," Ironside instructed. "That chimney has been covered with something. "I don't like it. Perry, turn the van around and get out of here, now!"

Perry did not question his brother, not even for a second. He had grown to respect his instincts. He simply began maneuvering the van so that he could turn it around. Just as he had the van point away from the cabin and began to drive the vehicle away, there was a small explosion in front of them. A little further down the road there was another one. It continued down the road for three more explosions and then stopped.

Perry had brought the van to a completed stop. "Shall we chance driving down that road?"

Robert Ironside pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. As expected, he had no signal. He looked at Perry who took it as a request to check his own. "No signal," Perry said. He tried sending a text message to Paul Drake.

"You're wasting your time," the chief barked.

"Sometimes messages will go out when you can't get a phone call through," Perry offered. He hit the send button and waited. Almost immediately, the phone informed him the message did not go through. "I think we better get into the cabin where we will be better protected."

Ironside loaded his service revolver. "Agreed. Turn around and head for the cabin."

Perry did as he was told and drove the van toward the cabin. He pulled the van to a stop. Both men just sat there for a moment. Finally Ironside said, "Perry, help me into my chair." Perry immediately did as instructed. "Grab the things that we will need the most. We will not be making a second trip to the van," Ironside said. "Make sure you bring the water and whatever food Eve packed for us. It may be the only food we have," Chief Ironside said.

Perry collected everything he could carry on his back and hold in his arms. "Perry, hook some of that stuff on my chair and keep your right hand free," Ironside told him. Mason did exactly as his brother instructed. Ironside handed him the service revolver. "Do not worry about me. I will wheel myself in. You cover us with my gun until we are inside."

Ironside motioned for Perry to join him as he positioned his chair on the lift. He activated the control. He and Perry were lowered to the ground. He immediately began wheeling himself toward the ramp Dennis had installed so that Ironside could access the cabin easily. Perry followed him with his back to his brother as he backed onto the ramp. He looked out into the woods. He could not see far as he was getting darker. Just as they reached the door bullets riddled just above it. Perry covered Ironside with his body and shot out into the dark with the revolver.

"Don't waste the bullets, Perry. Look at the pattern. That was not intended to kill us. That is coming from a gun that is firing remotely." He handed Perry the key and waited for him to unlock the door. Perry opened the door, pushed his brother through and slammed the door shut. Just as they entered the room, the lights went out.

Perry grabbed a flashlight and began to shine it around the room. He spotted the phone, hurried over to it and picked up the receiver. Perry tapped it several times and tried dialing. "It's dead," he said.

"Of course it is," Ironside growled. He pulled another flashlight out of the side of his wheel chair and headed into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator. It was empty…exactly as he expected it to be.

"The commissioner said he stocked the cabin with food," Perry remembered. "Someone removed it." He began opening cupboards. He went from one to another leaving the doors open as he went along. "They are all empty."

"Someone was expecting us…..but whom? Who knew besides our own people that we were coming here?" Ironside said, mostly to himself. He looked in Perry's direction. "The furnace is over there," he said as he pointed. "I doubt it will run but check it any way."

Perry pointed his flashlight in the direction Ironside was pointing and walked toward the furnace. He spotted the thermostat and turned it up to seventy-two degrees. Nothing happened. He opened the door on the furnace. "You're right; Bob, the blower has been removed. Is the stove gas or electric?"

Ironside perked up. "It's gas." He wheeled over to the stove. He turned the burners on…..nothing. He check the oven as well….nothing. Ironside looked back at Perry and shook his head.

Perry began opening drawers. When he opened the silverware drawers, he stopped. "All the knives and forks have been removed. There are no knives in this place at all."

"He's trying to make sure we are defenseless." Ironside frowned.

"And I took away the only element of surprise we might have had by firing into the night," Perry slammed his hand down on the counter. "Damn it. I should have known better."

"Forget it Perry. You just reacted to the situation. Anyone would have done that including me. We do know that whoever is doing this knows that we are armed. He is not going to come rushing in here."

"He also knows we can't get out of here. He rigged explosions on the road. I think we can expect that he has them all over the place. Wait a minute, Bob. What about Dennis' boat?" Perry asked.

"You can bet he has that rigged as well…..probably the path to it also," Ironside responded.

"Then we better go through this place with a fine tooth comb and figure out some way of protecting ourselves," Perry suggested.

xxxxx

Otto opened his eyes. Something was different. He sniffed the air. Excitedly he jumped from seat to seat, looking out the window. He began barking wildly. Otto pressed his nose on the window. He continued to bark. He jumped to the other seat.

Otto put his head in the air. He sniffed the air again. He barked again. It's him, his friend in the rolling chair. Otto began wining and pawing at the door, first with one foot and then with the other. He sniffed the air again. Otto could feel it. His friend was in trouble.

His memory took him back to the man with the blond hair, the one who had threatened his friend. He remembered the words, "Otto, zip" He attacked the man. Then he heard, "Otto, flack". He backed off. Otto jump back and forth between the two seats. He had to get out of this cage. He had to protect his friend.

xxxxx

Sorry for the long delay in posting this chapter but my elderly mother went into the hospital. I have her dog. I have a bad habit of waiting until the last minute to get my taxes done and had to get my business records ready for my accountant. The last week and a half have been a nightmare.

Hope you enjoy it. Now I have to write the next chapter for Victoria's Secret to keep those readers happy.

Thanks for reading! Don't hesitate to let me know how you think the story is going so far.

Kaleen1212


	5. Chapter 5

**Brothers in Arms**

**Chapter 05**

Paul Drake looked across the table at Della Street. He had never seen her so edgy and pre-occupied. Paul envied Perry. He only wished he had had this effect on Della before Perry had his hooks into her. He took a sip of his wine. "Come on Della, I feel like I am having dinner alone."

Startled by Paul's voice, Della looked up into his concerned face. "I'm sorry Paul. I don't mean to be such poor company."

He reached for her hand. "You could never be poor company. I think I already told you that. Della, what is it? Is there something wrong or are you missing Perry that much?"

Della smiled. "I always miss Perry when he is away but it has never stopped me from enjoying my friends' company. It is just that Perry always calls me when he arrives at his destination. In fact, normally he would have called me at least twice by now."

"It is the first time he and Bob Ironside have taken a vacation together. They probably discussed every legal case on record, then started drinking and playing poker. With the way Ironside can swill down that bourbon, they both may have passed out by now."

Della laughed. "Perry will not be able to keep up with Robert." She looked down at her nearly full plate of food. She was hungry when she and Paul left the office after she closed up but her appetite seemed to have disappeared.

Paul cut into his steak. He glanced over at Della who had drifted off again. He dropped his fork on his plate and waved his hand in front of Della. "Hello, is anyone in there?"

Della jerked and looked up again. "Paul, Perry always calls me. I have called him four times on his cell phone. It is not working….."

"They are up in the mountains," Paul interrupted. "No cell phone is going to work up there.

"I also called the cabin. It was busy every time I called. Now why would either of them spend that much time on the telephone when they are vacationing?"

Paul shrugged. "Maybe something came up at Ironside's office. He could be handling a problem with Ed or Eve."

"Robert's staff is highly capable. They would not disturb Robert when they know how much he needed this vacation. No Paul, I cannot believe that. Perry would call me unless there is a reason he cannot."

"Della, they might just be enjoying each other's company so much that checking in has slipped their minds. My guess is you will hear from Perry in the morning."

Della was not convinced. "That doesn't explain why the phone has been busy all evening."

"Maybe they took it off the hook or maybe it is out of order. Or maybe Commissioner Randall didn't pay the bill. I don't know Della, but you are worrying over nothing. Let them enjoy themselves. You need to relax and eat your dinner." Paul took another drink of wine.

"I guess you are right. I am probably worrying about nothing." She picked up her fork and began eating her dinner.

"Now that is more like it. Would you like to go dancing after dinner?" Paul asked.

Della tilted her head and half smiled. "Maybe another night, Paul. I think I will just go home…"

"And wait by the phone." Paul laughed. "Alright beautiful, have it your way. At least give me your attention through dinner."

"I'd like another glass of wine," she said with a smile.

"Now you're talking," Paul said and poured Della a glass of wine.

xxxxxx

Lt. Tragg was sipping his coffee when there was a knock on the door. "Come in."

Hamilton Burger opened the door and walked in. "Hello, Arthur. I just thought I would drop by and see if you had made any progress finding Tony Castle.

Tragg frowned. "Not one bit. He seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. We know he was in New York. He left there but we don't know exactly when and we don't know where he went. I called Drake but he will not give me any information without Perry's ok. He called Perry a couple times but he said the phone up at Commissioner Randall's cabin has been busy."

"Busy? They are up there to enjoy themselves. Unless Bob's office needed him for some case I can't believe either one of them would spend that much time on the phone."

"That bothers me as well. Could be nothing but the phone might be out of order and we need to talk to Perry," Tragg said.

"Do we have a phone number for Randall's cabin?"

"Yes, Drake did give me that." Tragg reached for the paper he had written the number and handed it to Burger.

Burger turned Tragg's phone around and dialed the number. He shook his head. "Busy."

"It has been busy the whole evening. They must have taken it off the hook."

"What for?" Burger asked. "It's not like they would be receiving a ton of phone calls up there. Everyone that is close to them knows they are on vacation. Arthur, I think we should call and have the number checked for trouble.

Tragg turned the phone back around and dialed the operator. After asking the operator to check the number, he hung up the phone. "Well, there is nothing else we can do tonight. Hopefully, we will reach Perry tomorrow. Would you like to go out for a beer?"

"Thanks Arthur, but I am beat. I think I will just head for home. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

xxxxx

Perry came into the living room carrying blankets. He walked over to Robert Ironside. He spread out the blanket over his brother. "It's going to get rather cold in here. Wrap this around yourself. I am going to go up on the roof and remove whatever is blocking the chimney."

"You are going to do no such thing," Ironside said loudly. "You step outside and the guns surrounding this place could cut you down before you stepped away from the door."

"Bob, we just can't sit here and do nothing. It is only a matter of time before that maniac out there is going to come in here," Perry argued.

"That is exactly what I want," Ironside said.

Perry starred at him. "What exactly do you have in mind, Bob?"

"I would rather meet whoever is doing this on our terms, not his. Look Perry, out there we know there are explosives and guns that are being remotely controlled. Without knowing where they are, chances of us getting out of her alive are about nil. We have to force this man to come in here after we get ready."

"Are you suggesting we set up some type of trap in here?" Mason asked.

"Have you got a better idea? Is so, now would be a good time to share it with me."

"No, I don't have a better idea," Mason conceded. "Have you considered he may just wait us out? We have little to no food. The water is turned off in here. We have no heat, no electricity. He can afford to just sit and do nothing….or can he? Bob, whoever is doing this is after one of the other of us. He knew enough about us to know we were coming up here for vacation. If he knew that then he knows his time is limited."

"Exactly! He will know that I keep in touch with my staff even when on vacation."

"And he will know that I keep in contact with my office," Perry added.

"Which means our friend knows he has a day or two at the most before my staff and yours come looking for us," Ironside said. As Mason turned around to pace Ironside noticed he had a red spot on his shoulder. "Perry, come here. I think you may have been wounded when we came in."

Mason walked over to his brother. Ironside told him to turn around and kneel down. Mason did as he was instructed to do. Ironside inspected his shoulder. "It seems a bullet has grazed your shoulder. It is not serious by any mean but you better see what Dennis has in the medicine cabinet that we can put on this."

Perry stood up. "Where's the bathroom?" Perry followed the direction in which Ironside pointed. "Well, at least everything is staying with tradition when I am with you. I have now been shot every time we have been together," he said over his shoulder as he walked away from Ironside.

"You weren't shot when I visited you in L.A." Ironside corrected.

When he reached the bathroom, he shined his flashlight into the room. He immediately noticed the sizzling bathtub full of water. "Bob," he shouted, "I think you better see this."

Ironside immediately wheeled down the hall to the bathroom. His chair caught on the rug below taking it with him. Ironside freed the chair from the rug and wheeled in to the bathroom. Perry continued shinning the light on the bathtub. Ironside starred at the sizzling water. "If I did not know better I would think that Jimmy Chard was trying to send me a message," he said.

"Chard, wasn't that the name of the Moonlight Killer?"

"Yes," he answered Mason. "Only, I know he is in an institution for the criminally insane. I went to see him earlier in the week to see how he was doing. They are pleased with his progress. Jimmy was actually happy to see me. He spent an hour telling me all about his treatment and apologizing again for killing those people. He thanked me for coming. Even his parents have abandoned him so I have been his only visitor."

"Are you sure there isn't a chance Chard hasn't escaped? He did it once, he could probably do it again," Perry suggested.

"Not a chance. They know about his escape from prison. Extra precautions

have been taken to be sure that does not happen. No, Perry. They would have

contacted me immediately. He is still there but it doesn't mean this is not connected to him in some way."

"What did he do in the service?" Perry asked.

"Spent almost all of it in an institution. I do know he had started to work with explosives and that had something to do with the start of his problems. I was never able to find out what that was."

"Perry, the breaker to the bathroom is in the utility room. Go shut it off will you?" Ironside instructed his brother. Mason immediately did as he was asked. When the water stopped sizzling, Ironside dismantled what their tormentor had set up. Mason rejoined him momentarily.

"Did Chard have a brother or a relative that might be trying to get back at you?"

Ironside frowned. "His only brother is dead as you probably know. That is why Chard came after me in the first place. He held me responsible for his death. I think we can safely rule out Bobby Chard. However, he could have a cousin or maybe a friend in the military that is trying to extract revenge against me. I would bet on a friend in the military from his set up here. He would have to be an explosive expert to set those explosions up remotely.

"But why now? Why involve you? He should not have anything against you. He could have made an attempt on me in San Francisco." Ironside wondered.

"He would have found it difficult to set anything like this up in San Francisco," Perry said. "And this cabin is out in the middle of nowhere. He would be able to set this up without having to worry about being discovered."

"I don't think we can rule out that it might be you he is after." Ironside motioned for Perry to check the medicine cabinet. He opened it and pulled out the only thing in it he thought would be of use… alcohol. "That is going to feel really good being poured over an open wound," Ironside grinned.

"And I bet you are just going to enjoy pouring it on that open wound," Perry surmised. "It is much more likely that it is you they are after."

"Grab some of those bandages. That wound need protecting," Ironside instructed.

Both men went back into the living room. Perry pointed the flashlight at the floor in front of Ironside to be sure he could see any obstacles in his way. Suddenly Ironside stopped. Perry saw it at the same time. He walked ahead of Ironside and shinned the flashlight on the spot on the floor that had been previously covered by as rug that Ironside's wheel chair had disturbed. "That is a hose of some kind," Perry observed.

"It is coming out of the crawl space below the cabin. Looks like he has rigged up something to pump some kind of substance into this cabin," Ironside said. "Follow me."

Perry again followed his brother who wheeled just about five feet further and began pushing a table out of the way. Perry immediately helped Ironside remove the table. Underneath was a door. "I take it that goes into the crawl space?"

Ironside nodded. "Take the flash light and get down there. Find out what our friend has in store for us."

Perry opened the door and shinned the flashlight into the crawl space. He lowered his body down into the darkness. Perry shinned the light around the crawl space. He immediately spotted the tank. Moving carefully toward the tank, he shinned the flashlight on it. He ripped the tag from the tank and put it into his pocket. He followed the hose from the tank until it ventured upward into the living room floor above his head. Perry pulled the hose out of the floor above. He went back to the tank and notice what he first had missed….the remote control. He disconnected it from the tank.

Ironside waited, not so patiently for his brother to reappear. When he could not wait any longer, he shouted down the opening, "Well, what did you find?"

Perry poked his head through the door and pulled his large frame through. He sat down with is legs dangling into the crawl space. He reached in his pocket, pulled out the tag and handed it to Ironside. "That's some kind of a knock out gas if my memory serves me correctly, is it not?"

Ironside shinned his flashlight on the tag. "You have a very good memory, counselor. It certainly is."

Perry stood up and closed the door to the crawl space. He moved the table back over the opening. Perry followed Ironside who wheeled back toward the couch. "The hose was hooked to the tank….and Bob, there was a…."

"A remote control hooked to the tank," Ironside interrupted him.

"That's right. I disconnected it and pulled the hose out of the floor. "Now we know how he intended to overtake us," Perry said.

"Anything we would have set up in here would never have come into play. He would have activated that tank and entered after we became unconscious," Ironside surmised.

"I think maybe we should have not taken for granted that we would be safe inside this cabin. Maybe we had better take a closer look around. It would be to our advantage to find and dismantle everything he may have done in here," Perry suggested.

"He hasn't done anything else," Ironside said. "This man is confident that we are helpless. We cannot leave without the fear of either being shot to death or blown up not to mention our pace would be slowed because of me. Ironside slammed his fist on the arm of his wheelchair. "He cut off food, heat and water and removed everything he thought was a weapon. He set up that scene in the bathroom to give us a clue as to who he is but in doing so, he gave us back the water. I cannot believe this man would not realize we could just shut off the breaker to have access to it. He purposely figured out a way to allow electricity to flow to just that one area. It did not matter to him that we would be able to dismantle his work. The knock out gas was his insurance he could enter at any time. His mistake is not taking into consideration that I have been at this cabin many times with Dennis. I know this cabin. Perry, we have the advantage. We simply force him to come in after us. When he does, we will be ready for him."

xxxxx

Otto paced back and forth in the vehicle. He had to get out of here. He had to get to his friend in the chair on wheels. He whined as he paced. His hot breath had steamed the window. It was difficult for him to see outside. He would have to rely on his senses to tell him when the man was returning. Every instinct within the dog told him he had to get to his friend.

Otto continued pacing in the truck. He jumped back and forth between the seats checking out the windows as he did. His acute hearing registered a _'click'. _Otto stopped. He listened but heard nothing further. He began pacing back and forth between the seats again, occasionally pawing the sides of the doors as he went. '_Click'. _Otto stopped again. Still no other sound followed. He pawed at the door. '_Click' _He stopped once again, then pawed the door. '_Click'._ Otto continue to paw the door. Each time he heard a click. A little knob moved either up or down with each click. Otto stopped and looked at the door. He whined, and then barked. His training told him this was the key to being released from this kennel.

Several more times he pawed the door, listened to the click and watched the knob move up and down. Otto reached back into his memory. He remembered riding with his friend on wheels in a great big kennel. He watched him push something on the side of the kennel and a big tray came down. He and his friend rode that tray to the ground. But Otto remembered the two people in the front of the kennel did not ride the tray out. They went out the doors of the kennel. Otto looked at the door of his present kennel. He tried to remember what they did to open the doors. He remembered the tall slender man reached for something on the door.

Otto starred at the door. He noticed the shiny lever. He grabbed it in his teeth and pulled. Nothing happened. He chewed and growled. Nothing happened. Otto sat back. He looked at the door. The little knob was down. He pawed the door. 'Click'. The knob went up. Confused, Otto whined again. He grabbed the shiny lever and pulled. The door to his kennel released. Otto pushed his shoulder and head against the door and opened the kennel door. He jump down out of the truck and headed into the night to find his friend on wheels.

xxxxx

Mark put another cup of coffee in front of Eve and set one down for himself. He sat heavily into his chair. Watching Eve, he could see the worried look on her face. "He's alright, Eve," Mark said trying to ease her concerns.

"Mark, you know fully well the chief always makes at least one phone call a day into the office no matter where he is and what he is doing. He has not called."

"We have called the cabin…."

"And it was busy," she interrupted. "And now a recording comes on and says the line is being checked for trouble," Eve pointed out.

"So….the line is being checked for trouble. That would explain why the chief has not called in."

"He would have gone into the nearest town and called us. He knows how we worry when he is away without us," Eve insisted.

"Eve, it is not like the chief is alone. He is with Perry Mason. We both know the chief is capable of taking care of himself. Besides, Perry will look after him."

"He would have found a way to call, Mark," Eve said with determination. She reached for the phone.

"Who are you calling?" Mark asked.

"Della Street. I want to find out if Perry has checked in with her," Eve said.

Mark took the phone receiver from Eve and placed it back on the base. "Perry would have no more access to call her than the chief does us. There is no reason to get her upset as well."

"I only want to know if Perry called her at some time during the day. If he has then I will know they are both alright." She picked the phone up again and began dialing. Mark sighed.

xxxxx

Della re-read the chapter in her novel for the third time. She was unable to concentrate on the words. No matter how many times Paul reassured her that Perry was fine, she could not shake the feeling he was in danger. Her cell phone on her nightstand began ringing. Della was relieved. She intended to scold Perry for not calling her sooner. She grabbed the phone and said excitedly, "Perry, why have you not called me before now?"

"Della, this is Eve," she said, already worried with Della's response.

Della voice showed clear disappointment when she responded. "Oh, Eve I am sorry I thought for sure it would be Perry calling."

"Then you have not heard from Perry?"

"No, have you heard from Robert?" Della inquired.

"No. We have not. He always calls at least once a day when he is away. I have to admit I am a bit worried about both of them."

"Me too, Eve. We have called several times and we have gotten a busy signal or a computer voice says the line is out of order. Perry knows I would worry unless I heard from him. I cannot believe he would not go to the nearest town and call."

Della was clearly upset which only served to upset Eve even more. "The chief always checks in and he knows how we worry about him too. If you hear from Perry, will you call me immediately?"

"Of course and I trust you will do the same if you hear from Robert?"

"You can count on it, Della. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Eve." Della hung up the phone. Now she was really worried.

xxxxx 

Otto bounded through the forest. All of his canine instincts told the German Shepherd to reach his friend on wheels. He put his nose in the air as his friend's scent guided him through the woods. Otto was so desperate to reach Ironside he let his guard down. He had keyed in on Ironside's scent so intently he did not concentrate on the ground in front of him.

A few feet in front of him under the cover of brush laid a trap ready to dig its teeth into its prey. Otto nose and instincts would have told him there was a problem up ahead but all the canine could think about was getting to Ironside. He bounded toward the trap and stepped into it with his left front paw. The trap snapped and the teeth bit into Otto's leg. The Shepherd yelped and bit at the trap trying to free himself. After a couple of minutes he stopped and laid down, his front leg throbbing.

He could not allow this to stop him. He had to get to his friend. Otto stood up and dragged the trap. He moved slowing at first, whining at the pain in his leg but he kept moving, motivated by the danger his sensed his friend was in. This time he divided his time sniffing for Ironside's scent and sniffing his surroundings. He carefully avoided another trap and something else he knew from his training he must avoid. He remembered all too clearly those things turned into a great big bang and then fire. Moving along steadily but slowly Otto stopped to sniff the air. He was almost there. He could smell his friend's scent nearby. Otto spotted a large structure ahead. He knew his friend was in there. Otto also knew he needed his friend's help as well.

He reached the house and looked around. Otto spotted the surveillance cameras. He had been taught to avoid them. He looked for another way into the house. After circling almost completely around the cabin, Otto found a door. He checked the surveillance cameras and used his nose to push the door open. He leg throbbed in pain. Otto went inside. He friend's scent was extremely strong now, but Otto detected another scent and cringed. He was unsure of what to do. When he did not detect danger from the stranger, Otto began barking.

Xxxxx

Ironside and Mason heard the barking immediately. Robert Ironside headed for the door to the crawl space. Perry stepped in front of him. "Bob, that could be a trap and we are not ready yet."

"That's no trap. I know that bark. That's my dog." Ironside called out. He pushed Perry out of the way and grabbed the table covering the door. "Give me a hand, Perry."

Confused, Perry moved in to help his brother with the table. "I did not know you had a dog."

"I'll tell you about it later." Once the table was removed, Ironside reached down and pulled the door up to open it.

Perry shined his flashlight into the crawl space. He spotted a dog with a trap connected to his leg. The dog began growling and baring his teeth. Perry stepped back.

Ironside wheeled to the edge of the opening. "Otto!" The dog began wagging his tail wildly and barking at Ironside. "He's stepped into a trap. We need to get him out of there. Perry, get down there."

Perry's eyes widen. "He will attack me."

"No he won't. Lower the pitch of your voice to match mine, like you did in court that day. I will talk to him from up here," Ironside tried to assure Perry.

Perry put his legs in the opening. Otto growled and bared his teeth.

"Otto," Ironside spoke softly. "It is ok, boy. He's a friend. Easy boy."

Perry slowly lowered himself into the crawl space. Otto was no longer baring his teeth but his growl could be heard coming from his throat. Perry did as Ironside instructed and lowered the pitch of his voice. "It's alright Otto," Perry said. "Easy, boy." Otto growled again.

"Otto, cease!" Ironside said. Otto quit growling immediately.

Perry moved slowly toward the dog speaking to him in his brother's lower pitched voice as Ironside encouraged the dog from above. As he reached Otto, he hesitated but looked the dog in the eye. "It's alright, Otto. We're going to help you." He reached up slowly toward Otto head. He put his hand in front of the German Shepherd and allowed him to sniff it. Slowly he reached up and touched the top of Otto's head. "That's it, boy. I am going to help you. He scratched Otto behind the ears.

All the time Perry was approaching the dog Ironside spoke softly to him from above. Perry turned his head just slightly without taking his eyes off the dog. "I am going to remove this trap," he told Ironside.

"Perry, take it slowly," Ironside called out.

Perry moved slowly but with determination. He reached and touched the trap. Otto whined. "Easy, boy. Let's get this thing off you. Placing a hand on both sides of the trap, Perry used his strength to separate the jaws of the trap. When it opened far enough Otto removed his leg from the trap. Perry threw the trap aside. He reached for Otto's paw. The dog allowed him to take it. Perry shined his flashlight at the paw. "It could be worse. I don't think it is broken. It is torn up a bit," Perry called out to Ironside.

"Get him out of there," Ironside called back.

Perry slowly reached for the dog. "Easy….I'm going to pick you up, buddy." He reached around the back of the dog and put his right arm under the dog's rear, behind his back legs. He moved his left around his chest in the front and picked Otto up. Otto whined. Perry looked up. This was not going to be easy. He found a wood box and pushed it under the opening with his foot. Stepping on the box, he used all his strength to lift the injured dog over his head. Perry glanced up. Ironside had gotten out of his wheel chair and was lying on the floor above.

As Perry lifted the dog closer Ironside grabbed the dog by the shoulders, careful to avoid the injured leg, and pulled him up gently into the cabin. He then rolled away from the crawl space door.

When Perry appeared through the opened door, Otto was wagging his tail wildly, barking and licking Ironside in the face.

xxxxx


	6. Chapter 6

**Brothers in Arms**

**Chapter 06**

Della hung up the phone. The line was still being checked for trouble. Just what could be wrong up there? And yes, she was sure there was something wrong. There was no way Perry would not have found a way to call her by now. She could not ever remember being this worried for if Perry was in trouble then so was Robert. It was of some comfort Robert was with Perry. After all, he was an experience police detective. Certainly, he had traveled with his service revolver. She could not imagine him not doing so. Some comfort, yes but not much. If someone was after Robert and she suspected that was what the problem was, that person would know they were not dealing with a private citizen but with San Francisco's most famous detective. They would be prepared.

The doorbell rang bringing Della out of her thoughts. She moved with her normal grace to the door. Upon opening it, Paul Drake pushed his way into her apartment. "Have you heard from Perry?"

Della closed the door. She saw the worried look on Paul's face. "No, I have not. Paul, this is completely unlike him. I am scared. Something is wrong. By now Perry would have found some way to contact me."

"Alright, don't panic but I'm worried too. Earlier I thought he and Chief Ironside probably just lost track of time but now I agree with you. He is crazy about you and he knows you would worry if he did not call and assure you he got there safely. There is something else bothering me. It is probably silly but it has been nagging at me all evening." Paul walked over and sat down on the couch.

"What are you talking about?" She asked him.

"The woman that came into Perry's office yesterday said her boyfriend, Tony Castle wanted to kill a police officer." Paul stopped and looked up at Della.

Della gasps. "You believe Robert may be the policeman Castle wants to kill?"

"Probably not but I am not about to just accept that he is not. I want it checked out. Let's call Tragg and see if he will help us." Paul got up, hurried to the phone and picked up the receiver. Just as he did, the doorbell rang. He returned the receiver to the base.

Della walked to the door and opened it to find Lt. Arthur Tragg and Hamilton Burger standing there. Both men pushed their way past her. Tragg looked over at Paul Drake. "I have a feeling you are here for the same reason as we are.

"We're worried about Perry and Ironside," Paul said.

"So are we," Hamilton agreed.

"I checked with the phone company. That line is completely out of order. There will be no calls going out or coming into the cabin," Lt. Tragg told them.

"Lieutenant, Paul thinks that Robert may be the cop that Tony Castle wants to kill," Della informed him.

"I have considered that myself. Right now there is no evidence to support it but I am not about to rule it out. I have men working on it right now. In the meantime, I have called the police in the area Perry and the chief are in. They are going to go up to the cabin and check on them first thing in the morning," Tragg said.

"Why not tonight?" Paul asked.

"They feel the phone lines in that area do not work well and they have no reason to believe there is anything else wrong. I had to do a lot of talking just to get them to check on them in the morning. It is better than nothing is at this point. I would feel a lot better if they had done it immediately but they refused to disturb them at this hour tonight." Tragg said with little conviction.

"In the meantime we all need to get some rest," Hamilton added.

"I am flying to San Francisco." Della went to the phone. She began dialing the number for LA International.

"Don't waste your time. We have already checked on flights. There is nothing tonight. The earliest we can get out is in the morning," Hamilton.

"We could drive," Paul suggested.

"We could but it would take a while to get there. San Francisco would not be the final stop. That cabin is about six hours further north." Hamilton stated.

"Well, I just can't sit here and do nothing," Della cried.

"Della, I have arranged for a private jet to take us up there in the morning. We will stop in San Francisco and pick up Ironside's people. I talked to Eve just a little while ago and they are just as worried about them as we are. So unless the police up there report that they are all right we are out of here at eight o'clock tomorrow morning." Tragg reported.

"Then I take it the chief had not reported into his staff either?" Paul surmised.

"No, they have not heard from him. Eve said he always checks in once or twice daily depending on what he pre-sets," Tragg answered.

"There is nothing further we can do tonight," Tragg said. "I suggest everyone go home and pack a bag for a couple nights and be prepared to fly out in the morning.

Hamilton started for the door. "Paul, maybe you should stay here with Della tonight."

"I already planned on it," Paul assured him.

Tragg and Burger left Della's apartment. Paul went over to Della and put his arms around her. "Don't you worry Perry and the chief will be just fine. You will see."

Della prayed Paul was right, as she knew sleep would be elusive tonight.

xxxxx

Perry smiled as he watched Otto continue to lick Ironside in the face. "Don't just stand there! Save me from this crazy dog," Ironside shouted with a grin on his face as he attempted to push Otto back.

Perry pulled Ironside's wheelchair beside his brother and the excited dog. After backing Otto off, Perry helped Ironside back into his chair. "Do you want to tell about this dog now?"

"First get the first aid kit. That paw of his needs attention," Ironside barked.

"So does my shoulder," Perry laughed, figuring he had just become second in line for medical help. He went and got the kit and brought it back.

Ironside looked Otto in the eye and said, "Otto, come." The dog instantly obeyed his friend. The chief reached down and took Otto's paw. The dog whined. "Easy, boy. I am going to take care of that." He put Neosporin on the wound and wrapped it up with gauze and medical tape while Otto licked his hand. When he had finished, he turned to Perry. "Your turn. Take your shirt off."

"Well, now I know who is the most important around here," Perry complained halfheartedly.

"His wound was worse than yours. Quit complaining and get that shirt off," Ironside ordered.

"Do you ever ask anyone to do what you want or do you always order people around?" Perry asked as he removed his shirt.

"Habit," Ironside said. "It comes with the job. Besides, I enjoy it." Ironside grinned at Mason.

After he finished with Perry's shoulder, Ironside wheeled his chair into the kitchen and pulled a bowl out of the cupboard. He then wheeled into the bathroom and dipped the bowl into the bathtub. After setting the bowl of water in his lap, Ironside wheeled back into the living room. He set the bowl down in front of Otto who immediately began drinking.

"That dog must be pretty special to you," Perry observed.

"He is. He saved my life once," Ironside said.

"So how is it you have a dog that does not live with you and how did he come to save your life?" Perry asked.

"There was a series of robberies where guard dogs had been rendered useless. While investigating the robberies I discovered a simple clicker was used to back the dogs off. The man responsible for the robberies had an attack Doberman dog, named Jinx. He ordered the dog to attack a guard who died in the attack. The dogs that were rendered harmless in the robberies were owned by a kennel who trained guard dogs as well as war dogs. The man's name is Dunlap. I convinced him to allow me to train with Otto."

"We found out where the next robbery was to take place. Otto and I went in. He saved my life and we were able to capture the man responsible. Ever since then I visit Otto and work with him. I hope to bring him home to live with me eventually," Ironside finished.

"Then I take it that Otto is a guard dog trained to attack on command?" Perry said.

"That's right," Ironside replied. "And he obeys me completely."

"Where is this kennel located?" Perry asked.

"Just outside of San Francisco," Ironside answered.

"Then just how in the hell did he….."

"Get way up here?" Ironside interrupted.

"That is exactly what I was going to ask," Perry asked.

"There is only one way he could have. He had to have been stolen from Dunlap's kennel and brought up here."

"Which means the maniac out there is trying to kill you," Perry said.

"And take you with me in the process."

"But why would he steal Otto? He could not possibly think he could use that dog against you. The dog is trained to obey your commands," Perry pointed out.

"I doubt the man knew anything about Otto. He likely just took the dog, which means he has knowledge of training war dogs. He probably thought he could control Otto." Otto was sitting beside Ironside while he scratched him behind the ears. The dog's tail thumped on the floor with contentment.

"Bob, this dog just might be an asset to us to aide in our escape from here," Perry said.

"Not might be an asset, he is an asset. Before he arrived, it was the two of us against one man. The odds were completely in his favor as I suspect he was at one time a special forces expert. Now it is three against one. Otto will do whatever I tell him to do. He will be that element of surprise," Ironside said.

"So what is your plan?" Perry asked him.

"We are going to allow our maniac to come right in here and when the time is right it will be Otto who disarms him.

"How can we be sure our maniac will not provide the element of surprise himself? He could come barraging in here anytime without any advance notice," Perry said and then he thought a minute. "No he can't, not now."

"That's right. Otto will let us know when he is close by. He can't get anywhere near this cabin without Otto alerting us," Ironside grinned.

"Bob, I know you love that dog but I don't think we should completely rely on him to protect us," Perry said.

"I don't intend to. After all, I want ALL THREE of us to get out of this mess alive. So let's start making plans. You are a brilliant lawyer with outstanding deductive reasoning. What do you think we should do first?"

"Figure out a way to hold on to that gun. He will know we have one thanks to me and the first thing he will do is attempt to disarm us. Does the commissioner by any chance have one hidden in this cabin?" Perry inquired.

"As a matter of fact he does. I was about to suggest we get it. When our friend gets here, that will be the gun we give to him. I will hold on to my service revolver in case Otto fails," Ironside said.

"Alright, where is his gun?" Perry asked.

"I don't have the faintest notion," Ironside answered.

"Then I suggest we put our best friend to work locating it. You pull out your service revolver and I will go get a piece of the commissioner's clothing to rub his scent on your gun." Perry was the one doing the ordering now.

Ironside grinned. "It's too bad you decided to become a lawyer. You would have made a hell of a detective."

"You should be glad I did not. Had I become a detective you would not be known as the modern day Sherlock Holmes, I would," Perry teased.

Ironside grunted. "That will be the day. I would beat you at detective work as easily as I beat you at poker."

"I thought we agreed on a rematch. You have not beaten me at anything yet. Just remember it was me that broke down David Martin and Damon Richards in the courtroom that led to freeing Whitmore and Randall," Perry pointed out as he headed for Randall's bedroom.

"With the evidence I supplied you," Ironside countered raising his voice to be sure his brother heard him.

Ironside patted his lap and said, "Up boy!" Otto gladly jumped up landing his front quarters in his lap. Ironside scratched his ears and ruffled both sides of his neck. Otto's tail wagged as he grabbed his friend's hands, careful not to clamp his teeth down on them.

Moments later Perry returned with a shirt in his hand. "Does this belong to the commissioner?"

"Yes. I made sure he packed it in his suitcase the last time we were up here. That is the ugliest shirt I have ever seen. I wanted to make sure he was never seen in it in public."

Perry laughed. "It is indeed ugly." He handed the shirt to his brother. Otto jumped down, landing on three of his four feet.

Ironside pulled the gun out of his suit pocket and wrapped it in the shirt. He rubbed the shirt vigorously on the gun and then removed it. Handing the shirt back to Perry, he said, "Put this back where you found it."

While Perry took the shirt back, Ironside took the commissioner's gun and called Otto over to him. "Smell, Otto," he said. Otto sniffed the gun. "Good boy. Smell gun, Otto!"

Perry returned to the room. He watched as his brother instructed his dog. Ironside looked the dog in the eye. "Search, Otto! Find gun! Go Otto, Search!" Otto whined. He left Ironside and began sniffing around the room.

"It's going to work," Perry said.

"Of course it is. What did you think he was going to do…eat the gun?"

"He would if he was just half as hungry as I am," Perry answered.

Otto wandered around the room sniffing. His tail wagged as he went. Ironside and Mason watched, as the dog did not leave one area, chair or object unchecked. Otto began to whine again.

"It is not in this room," Ironside barked. "Perry, take him into the kitchen."

Perry took hold of Otto's neck and guided him into the kitchen. After a few minutes the results was the same as the living room. Perry guided Otto to the utility room. Ironside followed his dog and brother.

Otto went around the utility room sniffing every nook and cranny. All of a sudden, he began barking and his tail wagged back and forth a feverish pace. The canine pawed at the floor with his uninjured front paw as he barked. "Perry, it's under the floor board. Find something to remove the board with," Ironside yelled.

Perry looked around the room. Ironside commanded, "Otto, come." The German Shepherd returned to his side, panting and wagging his tail. "Good boy."

"There is nothing in here. I will try my pocketknife." Mason kneeled down on the floor and placed the blade of the knife between the floorboards and applied pressure fully expecting resistance. The board popped right up just missing hitting him in the jaw. "It was not even nailed down."

"Makes it a lot easier to get out in a hurry," Ironside said.

Perry set the board aside and reached down in the hole. When he brought his hand out of the hole, it contained Commissioner Randall's service revolver and a box of bullets.

xxxxx

Sgt. Ed Brown opened the door to Chief Ironside's office and came down the ramp. "Any word from the chief?"

Mark shook his head. "No, nothing."

"Something is wrong up there. Did you call Della Street to see if she has heard from Perry Mason?" Ed asked.

"I talked to Della. She has not heard from Perry either. What did you and Dunlap find out Ed?" Eve asked.

The phone rang. Ed hit the speaker button. "Chief Ironside's office."

"Ed, its Paul Drake. Lt. Tragg and Hamilton Burger just left. I am at Della's apartment. Before Perry left for San Francisco, a client came into his office and claimed her boyfriend was going to kill a police office. Because the claim was made here in Los Angeles, Perry told me to check it out and follow the man to make sure he did not harm any of our police officers. We assumed it would be a LA police officer. I asked Tragg to find out about the guy. He found out the man was an assassin in Special Forces, who worked with war dogs. Ed, it is a long shot but there is a chance that the man could be after Chief Ironside. We have no evidence of it so far but we are going to do everything we can to find out."

"Tragg has called the police up where Perry and the chief are staying. He could not talk him into checking on them tonight but he is going to go up first thing in the morning. We have already booked a private jet out of here for early in the morning to San Francisco. We will pick you and your people up at the airport and head to Commissioner Randall's cabin unless we hear from the police that both of them are alright."

Ed, Eve and Mark digested what they had just been told. "What's the man's name?" Ed asked.

"Tony Castle," Paul replied.

"I think we have found some of the evidence you are missing," Sgt. Brown said.

"What evidence?" Paul inquired.

"The chief's dog, Otto, a German Shepherd. He is a trained attack dog. Chief Ironside trained with the dog a while back on a case. He has been visiting the dog ever since. Paul, the dog was stolen recently from the kennel that trained him. We have a description of the man that was seen coming from the direction of the kennel the night the dog came up missing. Can you get a picture of him sent over to SFPD headquarters right away? It is possible we can come up with a positive identification to prove Castle is the one that took the chief's dog. If so, there is a damn good chance Castle is after Chief Ironside."

"You have that picture within the hour, Ed. I will call Tragg and see to it. Call me back at Della's apartment. If it is Castle, we will be leaving here as soon as possible. We are not waiting for morning," Paul said and hung up the phone.

xxxxx

I apologize for the long delay in posting this chapter. My elderly mother was in the hospital and then a rehab center for a month. Then I stepped down on my foot wrong, rolled the ankle and tore the ligaments all to smithereens. I have been off work for two weeks with a lot of pain trying to figure out how to operate crutches and carry things at the same time…..without much success I might add. Then on May 1st, I got a call from my niece telling me her mother had found my nephew dead in his home. I was very close to him. The last few days have been very painful both physically and mentally. I will try to get back on schedule.

Kaleen1212


	7. Chapter 7

**Brothers in Arms**

**Chapter 07**

Sgt. Ed Brown checked the fax machine for the fourth time since asking for the photo of Tony Castle. Once again, no photo was to be found on the machine. Ed had been hoping the photo would arrive before it got too late. He wanted Dunlap's man to identify the man who had tried to purchase Otto. Ed had been a cop for several years now and he always trusted his hunches. Right now, his hunch told him that Otto's disappearance and the inability to contact his boss were related.

Ed had come up the ranks in the San Francisco Police Department rather fast. The personal interest Chief Ironside had taken in him from the beginning certainly did not hurt. In fact, it served to be catapult for his career. He had not been in the department that long when he became a detective under Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside. He learned quickly Chief Ironside could be a difficult man to work for. He was demanding, did not seem to be able to tell time and everything he wanted done….he wanted done yesterday. Yet working for the him had been rewarding as Ed soon learned Ironside was loyal to his detectives. Ed learned more from him than all the rest of the department put together. Over the years, Robert Ironside had become more than a boss. He had been become Ed's closest friend. There was nothing he would not do for his boss and friend.

The sergeant was worried about the wheel chair bound detective. Oh, he certainly knew Robert Ironside could take care of himself. He was pretty self-efficient. He further knew Perry Mason was with him. Perry had already shown a brotherly desire to watch over Ironside. Yet Ed had a nagging sense of obligation to protect the chief. What bothered him more than anything was the chief's failure to communicate with him, Mark and Eve. Chief Ironside always called his office at least once a day to check on his city. Even if he and Perry had vehicle problems, the chief would have found a way to call them. Ironside would have known his silence would stir action on the part of his staff. Eve and Mark cared about the chief every bit as much as Ed did. They were just as anxious to find out what was going on at that cabin.

The door to Ironside's office opened. Eve walked in and came down the ramp. She look at Ed and said, "Look, I know you told me to go home for the night and I got about half way there when my car just turned around and came back. I am not going to be able to sleep until I know the chief is all right. So what do you want me to do?"

The door opened and Mark came in. "I can't concentrate on school when the chief is out of communication with us. What are we going to do about it?"

Ed smiled. More than once the chief had sent him home only for Ed to return to the office. He could not fault his friends for doing the same. Besides, maybe between the three of them they might be able to find out more than they already knew. "Sit down. Mark, put on some coffee please."

Mark headed for the kitchen to start some coffee. Eve sat down at the worktable. "You were about to tell me what you and Dunlap found out before we were interrupted."

"Nothing yet. Donaldson was not available. Dunlap is going to try to talk to him yet tonight," Ed replied.

The door opened and Dunlap walked into Ironsides office with another man. They came down the ramp and approached Ed and Eve. "Sergeant, this is Donald Donaldson. He worked with war dogs and was a member of Special Forces. I think you might find what he has to say very interesting."

Mark returned to the table with a pot of coffee and several coffee mugs. After pouring coffee for everyone, he sat down and waited for Dunlap and Donaldson to continue.

Donaldson addressed the group. "When I was in the service I worked with war dogs until I moved into the Special Forces. There, I worked with a man by the name of Tony Castle who was part of the same Special Forces team I was. He was brilliant. We were assigned to clean up every messy job the military had. Unfortunately, he disagreed with a decision from command and went rogue. He was court martialed for his actions. The individual that investigated him and helped build the case against him was a former police officer who entered the service. From that time on Castle developed an extreme hatred for law enforcement. About two years after he had been discharged from the service, the ex-police officer who investigated the case was found murdered. My understanding is that case is still unsolved to this day."

"Then they were never able to tie the murder to Castle?" Eve asked.

"No. They were never able to locate Castle. He had a few brushes with the law but disappeared and no one seemed to know where he went."

The fax machine whistled in the other room. Ed turned his head in the direction of the machine and said, "Eve, get that will you?" Eve left the room to get the fax from the machine.

Mark asked, "Do you believe this is the man that took Otto?"

"We have reason to believe it is a possibility. Don was informed that Castle's girlfriend contacted a Los Angeles attorney….an attorney I am sure you are familiar with. The man's name is Perry Mason.

Ed and Mark exchanged a glance. "Perry Mason is the Chief's brother. In fact, he is with him on vacation. We have not heard from him since he left here and Perry Mason's people have not heard from him either."

Eve returned to the table and handed Ed a photo. "This arrived from Lt. Tragg in Los Angeles."

Ed took the photo and then handed it to Dunlap and Donaldson. "Is this the man you are talking about?"

Both man looked at the photo and nodded their heads in the affirmative. "That's him," Donaldson said.

Mark looked at the photo. "Castle took Otto alright."

Everyone looked at Mark. "What are you talking about Mark?" Ed asked.

Mark walked over to the chief's desk and brought back two police sketches. "These arrived while you were out, Ed. They are the sketches done by our police sketch artist from the description given by Mr. Dunlap's man and the woman who saw him leaving from the direction of the kennel. I was going to tell you about them when I got in." He handed the sketches to Ed.

Ed looked at them and compared them to the photo sent over from Lt. Tragg. He handed all three to Dunlap.

"Ok, so now we know Castle took Otto but for what purpose?" Dunlap wondered aloud. "If it has anything to do with your boss or his brother, they are both in serious trouble.

xxxxx

Lt. Arthur Tragg sat in his office. He had just hung up the phone. He had spent the evening calling in every favor with every New York cop he knew. He could not believe there was so little information out there about Tony Castle. Something was bothering him about this man. He decided to make one more phone call. Picking up the receiver, he called Della Street's apartment. He waited for an answer.

"Hello," Della answered.

"Della, its Arthur. I need to talk to Paul."

"Is it about Perry and Robert?" she asked him.

"Yes. Can you put him on?" Tragg said.

Moments later Tragg heard the familiar voice of Perry Mason's favorite private detective. "This is Drake, Lieutenant."

"Paul, I know you are bound by a confidence with Perry but I need to talk to his client. Perry and Bob Ironside's lives could depend on it. I have a hunch that Chief Ironside is indeed the cop that Castle is after. I have picked up a bit more information. An ex-cop that investigated Castle was murdered and the case was never solved. Apparently Castle hates cops."

Drake asked, "Is there any concrete proof that Ironside is the cop that Castle is after?"

Tragg hesitated. "Paul, I don't have anything concrete yet except a cop's intuition that Ironside is that cop and if he is, he is in grave danger and by extension so is Perry. Tell me, are you willing to take a chance with their lives? If I am right they need help fast."

"Ok, I am just as worried about them as you are. I am going to give you the name of Perry's client. But if we are wrong, Perry is going to have my hide for betraying his client's confidence. His client's name is Rose Dove. She is Tony Castle's girlfriend. She came to Perry just before he left for San Francisco. She told him Castle is going to kill a cop. Perry asked me to find him and keep an eye on him. I put seven of my men on it. None of them has been able to locate him so far. There is no record of him leaving Los Angeles by plane, train or bus. He could have of course driven to San Francisco."

"Do you have an address where this woman can be found?" Tragg asked.

Paul gave him the address. "If you are going to talk to her, you better let me come along."

"I will pick you up in about fifteen minutes." Tragg hung up the phone and headed out of the office. He almost knocked Hamilton Burger down when he opened the door. "Hamilton, what are you doing back here?"

"Arthur, I think we need to go back and talk to Paul Drake. We need to know who Perry's client is and we need to talk to her tonight."

"What makes you think his client is a woman?" Tragg asked.

"Perry is a sucker for a damsel in distress," Hamilton answered.

Lt. Tragg chuckled. "That he is. I already have the name of the client….._**a woman**_ name Rose Dove. I was just on my way out to meet Drake and Della at her home. Do you want to come along?"

"Just try and stop me," was Burger's response.

xxxxx

Perry Mason watched Robert Ironside. He did not interrupt his brother as the man sat in his wheel chair scratching his German Shepherd's ear. He knew the chief was deep in thought.

Ironside looked up and stopped scratching Otto's ear. "The knockout gas in the crawl space? We need to figure out a way to use it against our opponent. Perry, bring it up here and let me take a look at it?"

Perry went back to the table that was positioned across the door of the crawl space. He pushed it out of the way and opened the door. Carefully he again lowered his body into the crawl space. Ironside wheeled his chair over to the opening. The tank of knockout gas appeared above the door of the crawl space. Ironside grabbed it and dragged it away from the opening. Perry Mason pulled his large frame back into the room.

"Bob, how are we going to use it without affecting ourselves?"

"I don't know yet. We'll think of something," Ironside said with a frown on his face.

Perry looked toward the bathroom. "Bob, does the commissioner have any of that wiring our opponent used in the bathroom?"

"We are thinking along the same lines. Let's take a look in the utility room." Ironside turned his chair around and wheeled toward the utility room.

Perry followed him behind his wheel chair. Both men began searching the room. Perry checked the cubboards above while Ironside checked the lower ones. After coming up empty handed Perry attempted to manuvere his way around his brother. He tripped as he stubbed his foot on the wheel of Ironside's chair. To break his fall Perry put his hand straight out in front of him and rammed it into the wall. A portion of the wall opened. It became apparant it was a cubboard with no handles. Perry closed the door. He and Ironside starred at it.

"You would never know there was a door here. It fits so perfectly," Perry said. "Did you know this was here?"

"No. Dennis never mentioned it. Opened it back up and see what is in there," Ironside ordered.

Perry pushed against the door and it popped open. Sitting on the shelf was a box of bullets. Perry read the side of the box. He tossed it to his brother. "Those should come in handy." He contined looking through the cubboard. He grabbed a roll of fishing line. He showed it to Ironside.

"Toss it here." Ironside put a hand up in the air to catch the fish line Perry tossed to him.

Perry went back to searching the cubboard. He turned and looked at his brother with a grin. The lawyer pulled out a roll of electrial wiring and tossed it into the air to the San Francisco detective. Unable to find anything else of use Perry closed the cubboard door.

"There must be more then one of those cubboards back there," Ironside suggested.

Perry pushed his right hand against the wood and another door opened. Inside on the middle shelf sat two hunting knives. Perry pulled them off off the shelf.

"Don't toss those...hand them to me," Ironside warned him.

"What's the matter, Bob, don't you trust me?" Perry asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Ironside ignored Mason and looked up at the top shelf. "Perry, pull those down," he instructed as he pointed.

Mason grabbed a stool, stepped up on it and grabbed what he thought were two hunting vests. He stepped down from the stool with a grin on his face and handed the bulletproof vests to Ironside.

Ironside threw one of them back at Mason. "Put that on."

Perry did as Ironside told him. When he was finished, he helped Ironside out of his jacket and into the other vest. He then helped him back into his jacket.

Ironside placed one of the knives just behind him to his left in a pocket in the wheel chair. He handed the other to Perry. "Find a way to conceal it so it will not be found if you are searched."

"Do you think he will search us?" Perry asked.

Ironside shook his head. "No. This man thinks he is far superior to us. He thinks he has left us defenseless. That is his weakness. And we are going to take advantage of it. But we are not going to take any chances. Conceal it." Ironside looked over at Otto who laid on the floor with his injured front paw crossed over the other.

Perry saw the concern on his brother's face. "It is too bad there was not a vest for him but then we could not put it on him if we had one."

Ironside smiled. Perry's power of observation and deductive abilities were much more acute then many police detectives.

"Putting a vest on Otto would tip him off that we have them on as well and point out the dog is more than just a stray we allowed into the house. He must think he has control over the dog. He cannot know Otto will obey me or we will not be able to use the dog to our advantage. No, we have to allow him to believe he succeeded in rendering us defenseless. It is our only chance. Perry, I want that dog to survive this as well." Ironside's voice softens. "I don't have to tell you; even then the odds are in his favor."

Perry knew what his brother was saying was true. "I suggest we do whatever possible to move those odds in our direction."

"Let's get started then." Ironside said gruffly.

xxxxx

Della Street walked to her front door to answer the ringing of her doorbell. Standing on the other side of the door was Lt Tragg and Hamilton Burger. As soon as she opened the door both men entered before Della had the opportumity to invite them in, a habit that normally iritated her. On this occasion, however it did not even cross her mind to be upset with them.

"Where is Drake?" Tragg asked.

"After you hung up, Paul called Rose Dove. She agreed to come here. He should be back shortly." Della closed the door. "Would either of you like something to drink?" Both men politely declined. "Have a seat. Paul should be back as soon as he can," Della said to them.

Della looked into the faces of two men she had come to respect over the years. In the beginning, she considered them Perry's enemies. Watching Perry's reaction to them and the men themselves changed her mind. She realized Hamilton and Arthur felt as strongly about Perry's clients' guilt as Perry did about their innocence. Perry butted heads with them all right, both in and out of the courtroom. Tensions were especially high when Perry came close to crossing that legal line in order to protect his clients. Yet he never quite went over it. At times, Hamilton lost his temper with him but Perry was always in control around both Hamilton and Lt. Tragg. Ever the gentleman, he never gloated over beating them in court, which was every time he stepped into court against them. They began to respect Mason and on occasion even helped him trap the real killer thus clearing his client. The courtroom rivalry continued to this day but gone were the days when Hamilton and Tragg wished to catch Mason over that line. They came to recognize his genius as an attorney, allowing a friendship to form between them. That friendship was what had brought them together in a common cause to protect Perry from harm.

Della could read the worry etched in both their faces. She was sure they could do the same with hers. The doorbell rang bringing Della out of her thoughts. She once again made the trip to the door. Upon opening it, Paul Drake walked in with Rose Dove beside him.

"Rose, this is Lt. Tragg of the Los Angeles Police Department and District Attorney, Hamilton Burger. You have met Della Street, Perry Mason's secretary. We need to ask you some questions about Tony Castle"

"I am not sure I should be talking to the police without Mr. Mason," the nervous woman voiced her objections.

Hamilton Burger spoke up. "Miss Dove, we have reason to believe Perry Mason is in danger from Tony Castle."

"That is ridiculous. Tony is after a cop not Mr. Mason," she said with skepticism.

Lt. Tragg tried to keep the impatience out of his voice as he spoke up. He hated treading around someone's sensitive feelings when lives were at stake but he knew losing his cool would be counter productive. "We have reason to believe Chief Robert T. Ironside of the San Francisco police department is Castle's intended target."

"So, see to it that he is protected. What could he possibily have to do with Mr. Mason being in danger?" Rose asked raising her voice.

Della could see the patience of the men was begining to wear thin. She decided this needed a woman's touch. "You care for Tony, don't you?"

Hamilton was about to say something when he felt Paul Drake's elbow in his side.

"Very much," she said as tears began forming in her eyes.

"Rose, I care very much for Perry Mason. I am very worried for his safety. You see Perry is not Tony's inended target," Della began with her explanation.

"Then why is Mr. Mason in any danger at all?" She demanded defiantly.

"Mr. Mason and Chief Robert Ironside are brothers. They are at a cabin together on vacation. Neither I nor Chief Ironside's staff have been able to reach either one of them." Della was hoping she was getting through to the young lady.

Rose Dove gasped. "Is Chief Ironside the famous detective in a wheel chair?"

"Yes Rose. If he is in danger then so is Perry." Della watched as the girl began to panick.

"Oh my god...oh my god." She kept repeating over and over again.

Della took her arm and said softly, "What is it? Tell me."

"Something Tony said at the time that made no sense to me." She look up at everyone and said, "Tony said the Ironman was about to be melted down for good."

Everyone watched as the girl began crying freely. It took a moment before Rose's mention of Ironside's nickname sunk in. Lt. Tragg looked at Paul Drake. "Get Ed Brown on the phone now."

xxxxx


	8. Chapter 8

**Brothers**** in Arms**

**Chapter 08**

Tony Castle sat in the observation tower he had built in a tree nearby. He did not like the red light that was appearing on his computer. It indicated there was a malfunction in the remote on the knockout gas tank. Had Ironside discovered it? He could not rule out that possibility. Ironside was a very worthy adversary. The man was known for his brilliance in deduction. Castle knew he had single handedly disarmed several opponents including Jimmy Chard, not once but twice. Ironside was not to be underestimated. Many had and they now resided behind bars.

Castle also knew the man with Ironside was Perry Mason, the well-known criminal attorney from Los Angeles. He was aware of this man's reputation as well. He did not just clear his clients but uncovered the killers. Those two minds working together would be too much for any one individual to overcome. Proof was in the well-publicized trials in San Francisco. Scott Whitmore had been accused of murdering a police office. Mason and Ironside had joined forces and cleared Whitmore. They came together again to defend Commissioner Dennis Randall. That time the combined talent not only cleared Randall but also brought down an entire drug trafficking ring as well as the governor of California. No, Castle would not underestimate these two men. It had been discovered they were brothers. They would go to great lengths to protect each other. That would make them even more dangerous.

Castle checked the cameras around the cabin. There was no activity outside. All four cameras were functioning correctly and would pick up any movement. They were activated by movement. Castle would be alerted on the computer monitoring system if either man tried to venture outside of the cabin.

Time was running out. Castle would have to make his move very soon. He had researched both these men and knew both reported to their perspective staffs when away from the office. He did not doubt their people were already checking on both of them. The explosives he set around the area would keep them at bay for a while but not for long. Both Ironside and Mason commanded loyalty in the people around them. Castle knew they would stop at nothing to try to save these two.

It is entirely too bad Mason has chosen this time to join Ironside at the cabin. Castle had no argument with him. He could use an attorney of Mason's talent. Unfortunately, in order to take out Ironside, he had no choice but to take Mason with him. Castle figured his advantage was Mason and Ironside were thinking he would plan this as another Special Forces assignment. He did not intend to quietly take them out. Castle want Ironside to know who was ending his life and why. No, this time his method was a dog. Otto, the German Shepherd would obey his every command. What Ironside did not know was Castle had trained with this dog. He had trained him with a particular whistle. He had never disobeyed his commands. Otto had been sold to Dunlap's kennel by the government after Castle had been court martialed. Otto became Dunlap's property when he signed a contract to train war dogs for the military.

Castle would force Ironside to watch Otto tear his brother apart and then Castle would turn him loose on Ironside. He would enjoy watching him take his last breath as life left his worthless body.

Castle checked the monitors one more time. The only malfunction the computer was registering was that remote control on the knockout tank. He hoped it was a computer problem and not an actual problem with the remote. He wanted to already have Ironside & Mason under his control when he entered. It was now time to go get Otto.

xxxxx

Ironside held the flashlight and watched as Perry ran electrical wiring from the bathtub to the door. Perry wrapped the wire around the metal handle of the door. Ironside backed his chair from the door, reaching down and tucking the wire between the floorboards. He continued tucking it until he reached just inside the bathroom and tucked it under the rug. Ironside then cut off the protective grounding coating from the wire and set it in the bathtub full of water. Just as he had when he set something up similar with Jimmy Chard, he concealed the wire with a bath towel. He wheeled back into the cabin's living room.

"All set on this end, Bob."

"Just as soon as Otto warns us that our man is near, you go back to the utility room and turn on the breaker. If everything goes right, that will be the end of our friend." Ironside looked at his younger brother. "Perry, if for some reason this doesn't work, and you get the chance to use your knife, you go for a kill period. Is that clear?"

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. The same goes for you Bob. You will have the one gun. When he asked for the gun that was used earlier, I will be the one to give it to them. You are an experience police officer and I have no doubt you are a better shot and have a much better chance of hitting your target. And while we are at it, let's get something else straight. You are not to sacrifice yourself to protect me. We both walk out of here or we both die here. Is THAT clear?" Perry said.

In his usual gruff manner Ironside barked, "In case you have noticed, Counselor, I can't walk."

Perry looked at Ironside and a smile broke across his face. "It's nice to know you have not lost your sense of humor."

Ironside grunted. "Let's see what use we can make of that fishing line."

xxxxx

Castle approached his pickup truck. His senses told him something was wrong. The front driver's door was opened. He moved silently toward the door. Castle looked inside. "Damn it," he shouted. The dog was gone. But how? He knew he had locked the door. The dog was smart but there was no way he could have opened that door and let himself out. Could Mason have somehow gotten by his explosives? Castle shook his head. Ridiculous, he thought. Mason would have no idea Castle had the dog with him. Besides Otto would have torn him up as soon as the door was opened.

He had to find that dog. Otherwise, he would have to change his plan. He did not want to do that. He wanted the dog to take care of Ironside and Mason. Castle looked at his watch. It was now three o'clock. He didn't have a lot of time. He would try to find Otto before making a decision on what he would do next. Castle shined his flashlight on the ground to follow Otto's tracks.

xxxxx

Ed Brown rubbed his tired eyes. With the knowledge Castle had taken Otto, he, Eve and Mark decide not to wait any longer. They were going to head up to the Commissioner's cabin. Randall had not appreciated being called at such a late hour but his sour mood immediately changed to worry and complete cooperation. He had hung up the phone and arranged for a private jet to take them to the closest airport to his cabin.

Ed sat with Eve and Mark, as all three worried about their boss. The door banged open and Commissioner Dennis Randall walked in. "Sergeant, have you contacted the local police up there?"

"Yes sir. They will be waiting for us. They wanted to go in but I believe Castle will wait until just before daylight. Dunlap has gone back to the kennel to pick up several bomb- sniffing dogs. He believes Castle will have the area rigged with explosives. He is also bringing several attack dogs with us. He is going to meet us at the airport with the dogs and their handlers," Ed explained.

"What about Perry's people? Have they been informed about the latest developments?" Randall asked.

"No, not yet. I was about to do that when you came in," Ed answered.

The phone rang. Mark reached and punched the speaker button. "Chief Ironside's office"

"Mark, this is Paul Drake. I need to talk to Ed."

"Right here, Paul. I was just about to call you. The chief's missing dog from the Dunlap kennel was stolen by Tony Castle. He has been positively identified from the photo sent by Lt. Tragg."

"Listen, Ed. We now know with complete certainty that Chief Ironside is Castle's target." Paul went on to explain the conversation that had taken place with Rose Dove.

"Commission Randall has arranged for a private jet to take us to the closest airport. We are leaving as soon as we get off the phone. Dunlap is meeting us there with several of his dogs and their handlers," Ed told him.

"Sergeant, this is Lt. Tragg. We are calling you from a satellite phone. We are already aboard a private jet and we will reach their just about the same time you do. We'll meet you there."

"Alright Lieutenant. If you get there ahead of us, the guy in charge is Captain Darwin Winsel. He has called in as many of his men as he can reach as well as surrounding police departments."

"Ok, Ed. We'll see you soon."

Ed Brown hung up the phone.

xxxxx

Perry looked out the window. "Bob, there is a camera in the corner concealed somewhat by the light."

I don't doubt there is one on every corner," Ironside said.

"Just how good a shot are you?" Mason asked.

"Very good, why?" Ironside asked.

"Why not shoot those out and blind our friend out there." Perry turned from the window to look directly at his brother.

"If we shoot off a gun, he will know it. The sound out there would carry." Ironside said.

"So what? He has to be monitoring us from somewhere. He would probably know it anyway," Perry argued.

Ironside conceded, "Alright Perry, give me your gun and bring those bullets."

Perry complied with Ironside's wishes and handed him his gun. Ironside took the bullets and added bullets to it. Wheeling over to the door, he opened it slightly. Bullets immediately started riddling the area over top of the door. Ironside slammed the door. He wheeled over to the window, opened it, and waited…..nothing. Ironside pointed his service revolver at the camera and fired. He took the camera out with one shot.

"Nice shooting," Perry said.

"I am a cop," Ironside snarled while wheeling to the window on the other side of the room. He opened it slightly and again took out the camera with one shot. "We can get to one more camera in the back of the house but the last one has no window near it." He wheel into the kitchen and shot out the third camera. "We still have one in operation. We cannot do anything about that one."

"At least it he can't watch us from the front," Perry said.

"That's comforting since if we leave the front door we get shot," Ironside said sarcastically.

"What are we going to do with the fish line?" Perry asked.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Ironside asked.

"Where can we set it up to trip him?" Perry asked.

"The door opens to the outside. Run it across the door just about ankle high," Ironside answered.

Using his knife, Perry measured and cut the fish line the width of the door. "How are we going to tack it on here?"

"That is exactly what we are going to do, tack it on. Dennis has tacks in the back of the large drawer in the utility room. I doubt our friend found them. The drawer sticks and you have to pull on it to get to back of the drawer," Ironside answered.

Mason walked to the utility room and opened the drawer. It stopped. Ironside was right it was stuck. It took him a couple minutes to maneuver the drawer so that he could pull it completely out. Perry spotted the tacks and removed them from the drawer. With tacks in hand, he went back to the front door. He stood by the front door and tacked the fishing line just at his own ankles. He then tacked the other side.

"Do the same to the back door," Ironside instructed.

Perry left the room, returning a couple minutes later and nodded to his brother indicating the job was done.

Ironside studied the front door. "If the electricity doesn't get him and he trips, shoot him and shoot to kill."

Perry nodded. "Now what about the door going down to the crawl space?"

Ironside knew what Perry was thinking but shook his head. "I thought about that but it would not do any good. I don't think we could get him over there. No, I think we would be better off securing that door so he can't come in that way."

Perry looked around the room. He went over to a large reclining chair, pushed it toward the crawl space door, placing it over the door so that it could not be raised.

"Perry, secure the windows. They all have locks."

Mason left the room while Ironside secured the windows in the living room. After a few minutes, all windows in the cabin had been locked.

"The knockout gas. There is got to be a way to use it," Ironside said. "Let me see that tank."

Perry grabbed the tank and handed it to his brother. Ironside studied the tank. "By pulling this off," he pointed to the large cap, "we could release a lot of gas at once. I just don't see how we could do it without his seeing what we were up to."

"Maybe we could use it as a backup. If we get the upper hand we could pull it out and pull the cap on him." Perry was skeptical.

"Perry put it in between those two chairs over there to the right. Make sure they are close enough together to conceal it but not so close, it could not be pulled out quickly. I doubt we will be given the chance to use it any way." Ironside said.

"There isn't much more we can do with what we have to work with," Perry observed.

"Get a bottle of bourbon and a couple glasses." Ironside ordered.

"You want a drink at a time like this?" Perry asked in disbelief. Then it hit him. "Alcohol stings if it gets in your eyes."

Ironside ginned. "Pour two glasses and put one beside me and one beside you. If might just buy us the few seconds we need."

Perry poured the bourbon and placed the glasses. He set the bottle on the coffee table. "Now what?"

"We wait." Ironside said. "Otto, come." Otto took his place beside Ironside.

xxxxx

After Ed hung up the phone, he turned to his fellow police officers. "Let's go."

Commissioner Randall got up, "Sergeant, I am going with you."

"Yes sir," Ed said.

There was a knock on the door. Eve looked at Mark. He got up and went to the door. When he opened it, Barbara Jones stepped into the room. "Hello Mark. I would like to see Robert."

"He's not here right now," Mark said.

"All right, I'll wait." Barbara headed down the ramp. She looked at the faces of Ironside's staff and knew immediately something was wrong. "Where is Bob?"

Eve stood up. "Barbara, we really don't have time to explain. We are on our way out. If you would like to wait, we will call you as soon as we see the chief."

From the serious looks on the faces of the people Ironside cared about most, Barbara knew something was very wrong. She shook her head. "If you are going to Robert, then I am going with you."

"That is not possible," Ed said.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Look, we have to go. We will have the chief call you," Ed said.

Barbara stood in front of the ramp. "You are not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on? Is Bob in trouble?"

Commissioner Randall decided to take charge. "Barbara, Bob is up at my cabin with Perry Mason. It was supposed to be a vacation for both of them."

"Supposed to be? What is that supposed to mean?"

"We believe there is a man who is there to attempt to kill both Bob and Perry. We are on our way to meet Perry's staff and the police in the area of my cabin. If you will stay here, we will contact you as soon as we are sure Bob and Perry are safe," Randall said.

"Wait here! Oh no, that is not happening. I am going with you," she insisted.

"I can't allow that. The chief would kill me if I allowed you to be put in any danger," Ed said. "Wait here. We will call you as soon as we can."

"Wait here for what? To know if he is dead or alive? We both have been through so much already. If Robert is in trouble, than I am going and I will not taking no for an answer. I am going with you," she cried.

"I can't allow that," Sgt. Brown stood his ground.

"You don't have a choice. I am going to Robert," she continued to insist.

Commissioner Randall put his hand up to stop Ed from saying anymore. "I will take the responsibility, Sergeant. Ok, Barbara, you can come with us but you will have to follow our orders. If I allowed anything to happen to you, I would not want to face Bob. Are we in agreement?"

Barbara nodded.

Sgt. Brown backed off as Commissioner Randall outranked him. "Let's go"

xxxxx

Otto sat beside his friend. He could feel the uneasiness his friend felt. At the same time, his instincts told him something was very wrong. His sense of smell told him the stranger was not far off. He did not like the stranger. Something was familiar about him. He knew the stranger. All he could remember was he had been forced to work with this stranger. Otto remembered the stranger hurt him. He would not allow the stranger to hurt his friend. He whined as his friend scratched his ear and said, "Easy, boy." Otto could sense trouble coming.

xxxxx


	9. Chapter 9

**Brothers in Arms**

**Chapter 9**

Barbara looked out the window of the limo she rode in with Commissioner Randall, Sgt. Ed Brown, Officer Eve Whitfield, Mark Sanger and Della Street. Even though she knew all of these people were Robert Ironside's closest friends she could not believe for a second they could understand what was going through her mind. He may be their friend but he was the man that she loved.

No one had told her exactly what kind of trouble he was in, only that someone wanted to kill him. Barbara knew the famous Los Angeles attorney, Perry Mason was with him. She had read in the paper that Commission Randall's trial had revealed Mason was Robert's half-brother. Surely, this man was capable of helping Robert. After all, he was well known for immersing himself in the investigations of the murder trials in which he represented the defendant. Still Barbara was worried. She tried to convince herself not to. He has successfully defended her and himself against Jimmy Chard. Just because Robert sat in a wheel chair, Barbara knew he was never defenseless. He was not just a man in a wheel chair, he was Robert Ironside in a wheel chair. He had proved himself to her to be one of the most intelligent men she had ever known. Yet Barbara could not shake the feeling of dread.

Things were falling in place. It would not be long and the two of them could be together. She could not bear the thought something might prevent that from happening. Tears came to her eyes. Please God, she thought, don't let anything happen to Robert. She felt someone touch her hand and remembered Della Street sat beside her in the back of the limo.

Della smiled as she took Barbara's hand and squeezed. "From the moment Perry and I met Robert, both of us were mesmerized by him. He is absolutely brilliant at what he does. He protected Perry like a bear protecting her cubs. He led an investigation going all out to help clear Commissioner Randall of murder charges. Watching him day to day as a detective was fascinating. His deductive abilities are unmatched by anyone we know. No one is better equipped mentally to figure out a way out of this than Robert."

"I have learned behind that tough exterior is a heart of gold. He and Perry have grown very close over the months since Perry learned of their relationship to one another. Believe me, Barbara; both men will do whatever it takes to protect each other. They will be fine." Della squeezed Barbara's hand again.

Wiping a tear from her eye, Barbara smiled back at Della. I don't doubt that. I love Robert, Della. So many obstacles have been placed in our path and now this. I just want to be with him."

"You will. Look at this group of people. They are going to do everything they can to see to it Perry and Robert come out of this safely. Both men have some very loyal friends," Della reminded her.

It finally occurred to Barbara that this woman was in the same position she was. She obviously cared for Mason. Della had to be every bit as worried about him as Barbara was about Robert and yet Barbara had only been worried about her potential loss. "I am sorry Della. It just occurred to me that you care for Perry Mason. I did not mean to be so self-centered. It is just that I am so worried about Bob. Please forgive me."

Della patted her arm. "Nonsense! I understand. Robert has told Perry and me about you. I have been looking forward to meeting you. I wish it could have been under more pleasant circumstances. When this is over Perry and I would love to get together with you and Robert."

"I would like that and I know Bob would," Barbara responded.

Della hoped she had eased Barbara's concerns. She also hoped she had been able to hide the fact that she was every bit as worried about Perry and Robert.

xxxxx

Ironside continued to wait for their tormentor to make a move. He knew it had to be shortly. He could not afford to wait much before dawn. To wait any longer would invite trouble. This was not the everyday run of the mill criminal. He had to have been in the military to plan this kind of operation. He would have researched both his and Perry's background. He would know that both of their staffs and friends were professionals that would have figured out there was a problem at the cabin as soon as neither of them checked in.

Ironside estimated Ed, Eve, Mark and probably Carl were on their way up here. He did not doubt the same was true of Paul Drake, Della Street, Lt. Tragg and Hamilton Burger. Ed would have informed the local authorities. This place would be crawling with law enforcement officers soon. He had to make a move before they got here.

Ironside glanced over at Perry Mason who had fallen asleep in the chair. They were taking turns getting some much-needed rest in order to have sharp minds when the time came.

Otto laid beside Ironside, his injured paw crossing over the other front paw. He continued to pant with his ears perking and changing positions. Otto sensed the danger that was to come. The German Shepherd was determined to stay at his friend's side. He would not leave him. He would protect him from the stranger. Otto whined as he looked up at Ironside. His friend reached down, scratched his ear and said, "Won't be long now Otto. Get some rest, boy."

Perry stirred. He stretched and opened his eyes slowly. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Not long enough. Go back to sleep," Ironside barked.

"I'll take over the watch. You get some sleep Bob."

"In this chair? Just do as I told you. Go back to sleep."

Mason kicked the blanket aside. "I not tired. No sign of our friend yet?"

"No. He won't wait much longer though. He can't. By now the local authorities have been tipped off there is a problem here and both your people and mind are on their way. He has to come in after us before they penetrate his defenses. I just hope no one is killed in the process."

"You mean the explosives?" Perry asked.

"Yes. If they come in here like the cavalry, someone is going to get killed.

"Bob, your people are efficient. They will have done some checking before they came up here."

"It's not my people I am worried about. I have been thinking. The man that owns the kennel where Otto lives would have contacted me the minute they knew Otto was stolen."

"But you weren't there for him to contact."

"Then he either went to Dennis or straight to Ed. Ed would have figured I would expect them to do everything they could to locate Otto. It would have led them to whoever is doing this. Ed would not come in here without being prepared."

"This Dunlap, I am assuming he has bomb sniffing dogs?" Perry asked.

"Yes, and Ed would be on his way with Dunlap and bomb sniffing dogs as well as attack dogs. Ed is one of the best cops I have ever worked with. He will come in here prepared. That is why I am not worried about our people. It's the locals. If they decide to come in before Ed arrives, someone is going to get killed."

"And if they do come in before Ed arrives, they will force our friend's hand." Perry said.

"That's right and our chances will be reduced considerably. So let's pray they wait for Ed." Ironside looked down at Otto who whined, seemly in agreement.

xxxxx

As the plane touched down at the airport, Ed stood up. "The choppers are waiting. Everyone is to switch to them. The largest one will be for Mr. Dunlap's people and the dogs. Everyone else load into the others. I want to be back in the air in ten minutes. We are going to divide into 4 groups. I will head the first one coming in on the east. Carl, you are to come with me. Paul Drake will head the second one. Eve, you will join him. Lt. Tragg will lead the third one. Hamilton will join him. The forth one will come off the small lake behind the cabin. Captain Darwin Winsel will head that group. That will bring us in on all four sides of the cabin."

Della Street spoke up. "I am coming with you."

"So am I," Barbara said.

"No, neither of you are," Commission Randall said. We agreed to let you both come if you followed our orders. I will not allow either of you to be put in danger. When Della started to argue Randall stopped her immediately. "Don't bother Della, nothing either of you say will change my mind. Bob and Perry would kill all of us if anything happened to either of you. Sgt. Brown has asked me to stay behind with you. Mark will remain behind as well."

Mark stood up. "That is my boss in there. I am going in with Ed."

The Commissioner shook his head. "We don't have time for this Mark. You are not a cop and we will not put you in danger either."

"I wasn't a cop in all of the other situations I was put in danger either. I am going in, Commissioner. I don't work for the police department. I work directly for Robert T. Ironside and he is not here to order me to stay behind."

When Randall opened his mouth to argue further, Ed put up his hand. "Commissioner, Mark is right. He has been in danger many times. He has stepped in and saved the chief on occasion. I cannot tell him he can't go in. I know what the chief means to him."

Randall remained silent for a moment. He turned to Captain Winsel. "Provide Mr. Sanger with a weapon. I will take the responsibility." Winsel handed Mark a gun.

Ed continued. "Each team will be preceded by Mr. Dunlap's bomb sniffing dogs and a handler. Everyone is to stay behind those dogs. No exceptions. There will be explosives planted all over the grounds. The dogs will lead us past them. Several men skilled in defusing bombs will accompany each group. Mr. Dunlap has a schedule every group is to adhere so that we all arrive at the cabin at the same time. My group will go in. Everyone else will provide back up. Use the window for access to Castle. I don't have to tell any of you that the lives of Perry Mason and Chief Ironside are to be protected. If Castle can be taken alive then do so. If he puts Perry and the Chief in jeopardy then shoot to kill. Let's go."

Paul Drake walked over to Della and Barbara. He took both women in his arms. "Don't you two worry. We will bring both of them out of there alive. Ed is the best there is. Remember who trained him. Perry and the chief will have done plenty to protect themselves. Castle doesn't know about their secret weapon either! We will send word to you both as soon as we know they are safe. We will bring you in by helicopter as soon as we are sure the area is cleared of explosive devices."

"What secret weapon?" Barbara asked.

"Otto," Della answered.

Della looked into Paul's eyes. "You be careful, Paul"

"I will beautiful. I'll be back soon with Perry." Paul gave them both one more hug, turned and left to get into the helicopter.

xxxxx

Ironside sat with Mason and Otto in the dark. The room was slightly lit from the full moon. They sat in silence as they waited. Otto would soon tell them Castle had arrived. Ironside kept a close watch on his dog.

xxxxx

Castle moved silently. It was time. He could wait any longer. The grounds would be crawling with cops very shortly. He had to make his move. He would show Ironside immediately who the more clever man was. He hit the remote control and shut off the final breaker in the cabin. Ironside would have the front and back doors booby-trapped. He would not be using either except as a diversion.

He turned on his smart phone and activated the bluetooth. Castle checked the video. Only one back camera was working. He checked the application on his smartphone. It was in perfect working order. What was wrong with those cameras? IRONSIDE. That is what was wrong. He had discovered those cameras and took them out. Castle touched the application and activated the knockout gas. He did not believe it was working. He was sure Ironside had located it and had Mason disconnect it, but he would activate it just in case he had not.

xxxxx

"Where is he?" Perry asked.

"Close," said Ironside. Otto's ears perked up. A low growl started in his throat. Ironside reached down and ran his hand down Otto's back. The hair on his back was standing up. Otto's growl became steady. He pulled his lips back and bared his teeth. "He's here," Ironside said.

Perry moved immediately to the utility room and flipped the switch on the breaker. He went back into the living room. "The electricity is on."

"No it's not," Ironside said. We left the light on over the cabinet in the bathroom. It did not come on. Stay alert Perry. If that door opens, you fire your gun at him. I will hold mine in case he uses it as a diversion. Stay low and get behind something. If you fire, he will shoot back.

Otto continued to growl. The stranger was here. His friend was in danger. He would not allow the stranger to hurt him or his friend's companion. Otto bared his teeth.

"Otto, cease!" Ironside said. Otto immediately quit growling.

Suddenly there was an explosion at the door. It burst open. Perry fired at the open door. The lights in the cabin came on. Ironside turned his chair around quickly. Standing behind them in front of the utility room was Tony Castle. He was holding an automatic weapon on them. "Mr. Mason, I would appreciate it if you dropped that gun….unless of course you prefer to die sooner than later."

"Perry, do as he says. Drop the gun." Ironside barked. Mason did as he was told.

Castle walked over to the door to shut it. Ironside and Mason watched as he used his foot to push it closed. He looked over at Otto who showed no outwardly recognition of Castle. "Where did you get the dog?"

"He was outside, scratching at the door. We let him in. It's cold out there," Mason said.

"I appreciate you taking good care of my dog."

Ironside looked into Otto eyes. The dog looked back at him and then at the stranger. "Otto, come," Castle said.

Otto immediately obeyed Castle. Perry began to wonder if Bob was right about Otto. Would he obey Bob when the time came? Perry tried to find another way to give Bob the opportunity to use his gun. He was no longer confident that Otto would help them.

"I would like you both to meet Otto. He is a trained attack dog. So you see gentlemen, whatever I don't see he will. First of all, let me introduce myself…."

"Your name is Tony Castle. You are Jimmy Chard's half-brother," Ironside said.

Castle looked at Ironside with surprise. "I congratulate you, Chief Ironside. I guess I really should not be surprised that you know who I am. After all, you are only the most celebrated detective in the country. But, I am curious as to how you figured it out."

"You provided me with the clue. The bathtub." Ironside said.

"That alone could not have given up my identity. So tell me chief, how did you know?

""Your father sired you but did not care anything about you. Your mother died when you were born. Your father did not want his wife to know about his affair so he put you up for adoption. You must have found out about Jimmy and Bobby when you went into special forces." Ironside said.

"And just exactly how did you find out all that?"

"After Jimmy started killing people under the name of the Moonlight Killer, he was finally stopped in my office. Later on, I went back on his record. It took some digging but I was able to get his complete military record which included naming you as his half-brother. I checked further and found out the circumstances. Of course I was provided with a picture of you," Ironside answered.

"You killed Bobby." Castle accused.

"Just as I told Jimmy, Bobby killed two police officers while trying to rob a bank. He was tried, convicted and sentenced under the laws of the state of California," Ironside said.

"Yea, yea, I have heard that crap before. Then you locked up Jimmy."

"Because he was killing people. He's not in prison. He's where he can get the help he needs," Ironside said.

"What's the difference, Ironside? He's locked up. You killed my one brother and locked up the other one," Castle said. He pulled out the handgun he had taken from Mason and set down the automatic weapon he was carrying.

Perry looked at the weapon. He had to get closer to it. He inched toward the weapon as Bob continued to keep Castle engaged in conversation.

"Would you have me allow him to continue killing people?" Ironside said.

"Oh that is right. You put people in jail for killing. However, the United States Government has people like me kill one person after another and I was considered a hero. But, kill a person without the permission of the government and you are allowed decide whether I get to live or die. I killed people on a regular basis, Ironside. To me killing is second nature. I will not have a problem killing you and Mason," Castle grinned.

Perry moved a bit closer to the rifle. Ironside watched as his brother continued to inch his way to the rifle.

Castle looked down at Otto. "Otto, hold!" He yelled and pointed at Mason. Otto flew into action. He raced toward Perry Mason with teeth bared and growling. He lowered his head and the hair stood up on his back. He moved toward Perry, threatening him. Perry backed away from the dog. Otto kept coming with teeth bared and growling. Perry continued to back away from the dog. When Otto had backed Perry to the two chairs that were side by side, he stopped and held Perry there. Castle called Otto off. He returned to Castle and sat down.

Both Mason and Ironside realized that Otto had just backed Perry in front of the division of the two chairs they had hidden the tank of knockout gas

"You see, Mr. Mason, Otto will obey my every command. He is going to kill you and your brother. That will be my revenge for Ironside killing my brother and locking up the Jimmy,"

"Castle, I sent Jimmy to a facility where he has been improving every day. He is dealing with the killings. They are treating him for depression because of it. He knows what he did was wrong. With time and treatment Jimmy could very well be cured," Ironside said.

"Go ahead, Ironside, just keep talking. It won't do you any good. You are going to die but first you are going to watch Otto tear your brother apart."

Ironside knew he was running out of time. He had hoped Ed would arrive in time to stop Castle but he realized that was not going to happen. He would keep Castle busy for a few more minutes. So far, Castle had kept a close eye on Otto. Ironside did not dare order Otto to attack. Castle would shoot him immediately and Otto appeared to be their best chance of stopping Castle.

Ironside would simply have to distract Castle. He caught Perry's eye. He hoped Perry would figure out what he was about to do.

xxxxx

Della and Barbara waited in the mangers office at the airport. Each passing moment seemed like an hour. Barbara was pacing back and forth. Della sat at the table and watched. They both had been served coffee but neither of them had touched it.

"What is taking so long?" Barbara complained.

"It has not been that long. They have to land far enough away so Castle doesn't hear the choppers. The dogs have to lead them past the explosives. It is going to take a while," Della tried to sound confident. She wasn't sure she had convinced Barbara because she sure did not convince herself.

Commissioner Randall sat behind the manager's desk. He had just hung up the phone. "They are on the ground and making their way toward the cabin."

"How long will it take?" Barbara asked.

"It depends how far out they started. They should make good progress. The dogs will maneuver them around any explosives. Be patient, Barbara. You know how good Bob's people are. I can tell you from firsthand experience that Perry's people are just as good. They will reach Perry and Bob in time. And, don't rule out those two protecting themselves. Bob has been in many dangerous situations and has been able to protect himself. Perry can take care of himself as well. The two of them will work together. They will be fine. You will see."

The manager of the airport opened the door and came in. "Commissioner Randall, I have a police radio for you so you can monitor the rescue. He brought plugged it in and placed it on the desk. The manager turned it to the proper frequency and turned up the volume. "If you need to talk to them, press this button and you will be heard by everyone with a police radio in his possession."

Della and Barbara hurried to the desk and stood behind Commissioner Randall to listen.

xxxxx

Dunlap led his dogs through the woods. Noses to the ground the dogs moved at a steady pace. All of sudden they stopped. Dunlap put up his hand in a signal to Ed to stop his officers. Ed called over the radio for his men to stop their forward progress. One of the bomb experts came forward to where Dunlap, Brown and the dogs had stopped.

"It's an IED," the man said. I'll disarm it. You go on a head. Dunlap turned to one of his handlers and said. Stay behind with Smokes and Jabber. Catch up with us as quickly as possible but stay behind those dogs. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," the man answered. Dunlap and Ed moved their group forward. Mark and Carl followed directly behind them.

xxxxx

Lt. Arthur Tragg and Hamilton Burger followed the handler and six trained bomb-sniffing dogs. Tragg was carrying the police radio. "Ed and Dunlap just came up on their first bomb. It's being dismantled and the rest of the group is moving forward to stay on schedule."

"Tell Brown we are two bombs ahead of him," Burger said. He continued moving forward. Something snapped and Burger felt a stabbing pain around his leg. He let out a cry of pain.

Tragg ran over to him. "You've stepped in an animal trap. Someone give me a hand opening this thing." A couple of the officers helped Tragg open the trap and Burger removed his leg. "You can't walk on this, Hamilton."

"You are not leaving me behind," Burger insisted. "I can continue. I won't slow anyone down."

"Hamilton, this is bleeding. There is no way you can continue on this." Tragg opened his jacket and tore off the bottom portion of his shirt. He tied it around Burger's leg. "This will do until we can get you some medical help. Let's get moving. We have a schedule to keep."

While two officers helped Burger to his feet, Tragg got on his police radio. "This is Tragg, unit 2. Hamilton Burger just stepped in an animal trap. Be careful and watch out for more of those traps.

Hamilton grimaced as he put weight on his leg. Pain shot up his leg but nothing was going to stop him from getting to the cabin to help his friends.

xxxxx

"Earlier you said when you killed for the United States Government you were a hero but the truth is you really are a coward," Ironside said.

Castle looked at Ironside and growled, "You sit there in that chair, hide behind a building full of cops and you have the nerve to call me a coward?"

Perry understood what his brother was trying to do. "He's right, you are a coward. You try to justify homicide by comparing it to war and defense of this country."

"The big shot lawyer who spend all his time defending murderers lectures me about justification of killing someone. You help turn murderers loose every day so you can pick up big bucks and enjoy the notoriety."

"He defends innocent people. In almost every case, the real murdered was revealed by his methods. But, Perry is right. You can't compare an act of war with that of cold blooded murder," Ironside said.

"The government turned on me. I was the one they called in to do their dirty work and when they were done with me they threw me to the wolves," Castle yelled.

"You disobeyed an order and killed the leader of a country that started a war," Ironside said.

"Just like your brother, you have trouble understanding the difference between right and wrong," Perry added.

"The man I killed was a terrorist. The US had no business supporting him and then sending me in to kill others. He was no different," Castle screamed. "Leave my brother out of it."

"That was not for you to decide," Ironside said. "No more than it was for me to decide Bobby's punishment. I did my job. I arrested him. The courts, judge and jury decided his fate. You blame me but you then justify killing that leader because YOU decided he was no different than the others."

"Seems to me you are the one that took matters into your own hands, not Chief Ironside," Perry said.

"What would you know about what I do?" Castle said as he took a step forward. Otto was now slightly behind him.

"I served in the US Navy," Ironside barked at him. "I was held captive and tortured by the Japanese. The officer in charge is a friend of mine to this day. We both knew the difference between war and murder. Neither of us returned home figuring we had a justification for murder."

"Yes," Mason said. "You're a coward. You choose murder over admitting what you did was wrong. You cannot take responsibility for your own actions. You use what happened to you to justify killing us."

"Shut up! Both of you. I am sick of people like you who think you have the right to tell me what is right and wrong.

"Someone needs to tell you," Ironside said.

"Because you sure don't know the difference," Perry added.

"That's it. I have had enough of both of you," Castle yelled. He pointed at Mason and shouted, "Otto, hit!"

xxxxx


	10. Chapter 10

**Brothers in Arms**

**Chapter 10**

Commissioner Randall sat at the desk. Della and Barbara listened to the progress of the rescue of the men they loved. Both were anxious. Was it too late already? If not, what shape would the two men be in after the police burst into that cabin? Did either of them really want to know the answer to those questions?

Barbara quietly asked, "Who is Otto?"

Commissioner Randall looked behind his shoulder at Barbara and said, "He's Bob's dog."

"Bob doesn't have a dog," Barbara argued.

"He trained with Otto on a case. Otto saved his life. Ever since, he has been visiting and working with the dog. Bob really loves that dog. He's a trained attack and bomb sniffing dog," Randall told her.

"Then Sgt. Brown thinks this dog can help Bob and Perry?" She asked.

"Castle doesn't know the dog has trained with Bob," Randall explained. "The dog loves Bob. He even obeys Bob over the trainer at the kennel. If the opportunity presents itself, Bob will order that dog to attack Castle."

Barbara put her hand on Randall's shoulder. "Is Otto big enough to take this man down?"

"He's a good sized German Shepherd. Believe me he could take Castle down. There is a potential problem, though."

"What," she asked.

"Otto has trained with Castle," Randall answered.

"So what does that mean?" Barbara inquired.

"It means," Della said, "there is some question as to whom the dog will obey, Robert or Castle."

Della's answer alarmed Barbara. Commissioner Randall noticed the look on her face. "It will be alright Barbara. That dog obeys Bob over his trainer at the kennel and he goes absolutely crazy every time he sees him. He will obey Bob. I would bet a year's salary on it."

"Would you bet Bob's life on it?" Barbara asked.

Della responded, "In a way we already have."

Tragg could be heard over the police radio reporting that Hamilton Burger stepped in a trap. That quickly ended the conversation about Otto. Della worried about her friend. She hoped his injury was not bad.

"Did Tragg just say Burger was going to continue on with them?" Randall asked.

"Yes," Barbara leaned forward. That is exactly what he said. He could not be hurt too badly then."

"You don't know Hamilton. Nothing is going to stop him from reaching that cabin," Della sighed. "I just hope he doesn't do further damage to it.

xxxxx

All four groups reached the inter perimeter of Castle's defenses. The automatic weapons that had been set up to shoot remotely were being disassembled by the police. After they were sure they had found all of the weapons, Sgt. Ed Brown ordered the all the groups to surround the cabin.

"Capt. Winsel to Sgt. Brown," Winsel whispered into his police radio.

"Brown here, go ahead Captain. There are cameras in the back of the cabin. I don't think we should move any closer. If Castle is monitoring them, he would know we are here."

"Ok, hold your position. We will keep you informed. Brown to Drake," Ed said quietly.

"Drake here Ed, go ahead."

"Can you spot any cameras on your side?"

"Eve said you can not see the front corner from this position," Paul reported.

"Same here," Tragg interrupted.

Ed glanced over at Lt. Reese. "Carl, can you see any cameras in the front?"

Using the binoculars, Carl looked up at each corner. "The lights are lit up and yes I can see the cameras at both ends, but they are shot out. The chief must have taken them out."

"Captain Winsel," Ed spoke into the police radio. Do you have a sharp shooter that could take those two cameras out with a silencer on his gun?"

"Yes, Reynolds could do it," Winsel said. "But won't that alert Castle something is wrong?"

"We'll have to chance it. I want him blind on your side as well. So do it," Ed ordered.

"Lt. Reynolds, take out those cameras," Winsel ordered his lieutenant. When the job was done, Winsel reported to Brown. "It's done, Sergeant."

"All units, move in," Ed ordered.

xxxxx

Once again, Otto attacked…only this time he leaped straight into the air and clamped his jaw down on Castle gun arm. He jerked his head back and forth tearing into the skin of Tony Castle.

Castle screamed. He began slugging Otto. It only served to tighten Otto grip as he used his powerful jaws to bit down further into the flesh on Castle's arm. Otto jerked his head back and forth ripping the flesh away.

"Perry! Get that rifle!" Ironside shouted.

Perry moved quickly toward the rifle Castle had set aside.

Castle knew if Mason got a hold of the rife it was all over. The dog continued to tear at his arm. Castle still had not let go of the gun. He made a quick decision to try to aim the gun toward Ironside. If he could get a shot off, at least he could accomplish killing the man who had destroyed his brothers' lives. Using all his strength, he pulled his arm up and pointed the gun toward the detective. He was shocked to see Ironside pointing back at him with a gun of his own.

Ironside had pulled out his service revolver as soon as Otto attacked Castle. All of a sudden, the front door burst opened. The windows broke on both sides of the cabin. Ironside aimed and shot Castle in his gun shoulder, trying to avoid from hitting Otto.

Shots rang out from behind Castle from both an automatic rifle and Ed and Carl's service revolvers. Paul Drake and Eve Whitfield fired their guns from one side of the cabin window at the same time Lt. Tragg fired from the other side of the cabin window.

"Otto! Flack!" Ironside roared over the bullets flying through the air. Otto crouched toward the floor and practically crawled back to Ironside.

Tony Castle body was hit from gunshots from all four sides. He slumped to the floor. The shooting ceased as cops and dogs poured into the cabin.

Ironside patted the top of Otto's head and looked up at his sergeant. "What the hell took you so long?" A big dimpled boyish grin broke across his face. Otto's tail was thumping wildly on the floor. Ed grinned back.

"You can't even take a vacation without causing the rest of us headaches," Carl laughed while stepping forward to shake the chief's hand.

Mark and Eve walked over to their boss. Mark nodded at Ironside. A silent exchange of relief passed between the two men. Eve looked at Chief Ironside as a tear rolled down her face. She walked behind him, put her arms around him and kissed his cheek. Ironside grabbed both her wrist and hugged her to him. Turing his head, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and planted a kiss on her lips. "I'm fine, Eve," he said gently.

Paul, Hamilton and Arthur Tragg surrounded Perry. Paul slapped his friend on the shoulder, through his arms around Perry and gave him a bear hug.

Perry looked down at Hamilton's leg. "I see you stepped in one of the same traps that Otto did. You should not have kept going, Hamilton. That leg needs attention. Don't try to get Bob to help you. You will have to get in line behind Otto."

Hamilton noticed the blood on Perry's shoulder. Tragg reached over and touched his bloody coat. "So, the chief treated Otto's leg first, huh?"

Paul, Hamilton and Perry began laughing.

"Has anybody checked to see if Castle is still alive," Ed shouted.

"You're kidding, right?" Ironside shouted back to some laughter.

An officer came into to room and yelled at Sgt. Brown. "Sergeant, there's a Commissioner Randall on the police radio. He said the ladies are frantic. They want to know if their men are alright?"

Paul, Hamilton, Perry and Arthur joined Ed, Mark, Eve, Carl and the Chief.

Ironside looked up at Ed. "Ladies? Their men?" he asked.

Paul spoke up. Della is at the airport waiting to hear about Perry and chief, you have a lady waiting to hear about you," Paul smiled.

Ironside looked at Drake. "What do you mean, a lady?"

"Chief, Barbara is at the airport with Della," Eve said. She showed up at your office just before we left. We had to bring her with us or she never would have let us out of the office. Commissioner Randall stayed with them at the airport. They are waiting to hear the outcome of our rescue.

Ironside was completely taken back by Eve's words.

The officer walked over and handed Ed the police radio. "Who wants to go first?" Ed asked. 

"Let Perry. I have to talk to the local authorities here," Ironside said. "Don't take all morning either, Perry." He wheeled away from the group.

Ed smiled as he handed the radio to Perry. "Commissioner Randall is on."

Perry took the radio and walked away. "Commissioner."

"It's good to hear your voice, Perry. There is a very anxious young lady here who would like to talk to you."

Perry waited. He closed his eyes.

"Perry, are you there?" Della asked.

He smiled. "Hello, Della. It is so good to hear your voice. I want to let you know we reached the cabin safely."

Della laughed. "It's about time you got around to calling me to let me know. Perry?"

"Yes, baby," Perry answered.

"I am so happy you are alright."

Perry could hear the shakiness in her voice. "You really did not think you would get rid of me that easy, did you?"

"I was so worried. When can I see you?"

"Let the police get things quieted down and I think Bob can talk the local police into picking you and Barbara up and bringing you here."

"Ok, Perry. And Perry?"

"Yes, Della"

"I love you," Della said with a tremble in her voice.

"I love you too. I am going to turn the radio over to Bob. Would you put Barbara on?" Perry turned around looking for his brother. "Bob!"

Ironside wheeled over to Perry who handed him the radio. Perry lightly squeezed his shoulder and walked away. "Barbara," Ironside said.

Barbara began to cry. "Bob, I was afraid this conversation might not take place."

"I have a lot of friends who just can't seem to leave me alone for a minute," Ironside said."

"Just be glad they got there in time," Barbara told him.

"Huh," he grunted. "Otto beat them to it."

"So he did obey you over Castle, then?" Barbara asked.

"I never even ordered the dog to attack. Castle ordered him to attack Perry. Otto obliged his order by attacking him instead. He's a hell of a dog."

"Bob, I need to see you. I have to see you," she said. "I want to see you."

"I hope that means what I think it means," he told her.

"We're going to be ok, Bob. I told you I would be back. I meant it."

"Let me get things cleaned up here and I'll send for you and Della," Ironside said.

"I love you, Bob," she said.

"I love you too." He barely got the words out from the lump in his throat. "Put Dennis on would you, Barbara?"

A moment later Commissioner Randall said, "I swear you are going to be the death of me yet, Bob."

Ironside smiled, "Glad to know you care, Dennis. Thanks for bringing in the cavalry, my friend."

"You're welcome. However, you should thank those people of yours. I could not have stopped them if I tried. They were hell bent on coming after you."

"Dennis, I am going to be awhile here. Look after the ladies, will you please?

"I'll do that. See you soon." The radio went dead.

Ironside turned his wheel chair around. Dunlap stood in front of him. "Hello, chief."

Putting out his hand, Ironside smiled. "That is one hell of a dog, Dunlap."

"He's yours, anytime you want him, chief." Dunlap took his hand and shook it. "It sure did not take your people long to discover who stole Otto. Between them and Mason's people they had it figured out late last night."

"Trained them myself. As far as Perry's people, I know their efficiency first-hand. They are a great group of people. Perry, on the other hand would make a lousy cop. Where the hell is he, anyway?" Ironside grumbled.

"Talking to Ed and Paul," Dunlap said.

Ironside offered his hand one more time. "Thanks for everything you have done and I intend to take you up on that offer on Otto."

"You do that chief. It's obvious, he's yours anyway." Dunlap said.

Ironside wheeled his way in and around police and forensic teams. "Perry!" shouted Ironside.

Everyone looked at him. The room quieted. Perry stepped forward. "Yes, Bob."

"I distinctly remember hearing an automatic weapon being fired," Ironside said.

"So you did. I was trying to protect you," Perry grinned.

"Protect me? Have you ever fired one of those guns before?"

"No, but I have fired both handguns and rifles. You just aim and shoot," Perry grinned again.

"You could have missed Castle and shot me," Ironside growled.

"I thought about that but what the hell. I knew you were wearing a bulletproof vest. Besides, with all the shooting going on, I got carried away," Perry snickered.

Everyone began laughing again. Perry walked over to his brother and reminded him. "You told me I could have been a hell of a cop, remember?"

"I meant a traffic cop," Ironside said with a twinkle in his eye. A few more chuckles sounded around the room.

Perry laughed. "I think I'll stick with the court room." Perry placed his hand on his brother's shoulder.

Ironside turned and looked at the utility room. "Just how did Castle get in here? He was standing over there in front of the utility room." He began wheeling in that direction. Perry followed him.

"The lights came on and he was standing here. The back door remained undisturbed. Winsel said none of the windows were disturbed either."

They entered the utility room. "You don't suppose there is a door set back in like those cupboards?" Ironside thought aloud.

Perry began feeling the wall. He could not feel anything that would indicate a door so he started pushing on the wall. It did not give way. He closed the utility room door and press against the wall behind it. It opened. Behind it was a broom closet. The wall of the broom closet had been removed. Perry stepped out on to the porch behind the house.

"We should have continued to check the walls when we were in here," Ironside said. "We would have found this."

Perry re-enter the cabin. "Do you realize Bob that nothing we set up was of much help to us?" Perry said. "The explosion at the front door knocked out the fish line from the bottom of the door. The electrical wiring was rendered useless when he cut out the electricity. The wire was blown apart in the explosion as well. We could not have used it anyway since he did not try to come in that way. There was no time or opportunity to use the knives. The only thing we ended up using was the gun. We can thank the commissioner for having another service revolver in the cabin."

"Otto did back you up to that tank. Again, you are right. There wasn't any opportunity for you to use it. But one other of our defenses worked perfectly," Ironside said.

"Otto," said Perry. I questioned whether he would follow your command after he backed me up and threaten me. Yet when Castle ordered him to attack me, he went right for Castle," Perry marveled.

There was a scratch at the door. Ironside backed up his wheel chair and opened the door. Otto entered, and jumped up on Perry. "Thanks, buddy. You saved my life," Perry said as he ruffled the dog's neck.

Ironside smiled when Otto jump up on him and licked him in the face. "Let's get this investigation moving so we can send for the girls."

xxxxx

Five hours later the cabin had cleared out. The only ones left were Ed and Paul.

Perry and the chief joined them in the living room. Perry brought in a bottle of bourbon, poured a glass for Bob and put it down in front of him. He then poured one for himself.

"Chief, all of the explosives Castle set has been disarmed. The animal traps have been sprung and picked up. Your electricity has been completely restored as well as the gas. The phone is working. The water is back on. The motor is back in the furnace. The bomb in the boat has been disarmed as well. The tarp has been removed from the chimney," Ed said.

"Commissioner Randall has restocked the refrigerator. We picked up some forks and knives. The windows have been replaced. You have all the comforts of home. You can both now start your vacation," Paul continued.

"Ed….." Ironside began.

"Forget it chief, you would have done the same for me and have. Besides, it looked like Otto had it all under control. I am just glad he was not shot with all those guns going off.

"We are going to get out of here and let you two continue your vacation in peace," Paul said. He shook Ironsides hand and slapped Perry's shoulder lightly. After Ed shook Perry's hand, they headed out. Paul opened the door. Della and Barbara walked in.

"Enjoy your vacation," Ed called out over his shoulder as he and Paul left.

Della went immediately to Perry who took her into his arms and lowered his head to meet her in a heated kiss.

Barbara walked slowly to Robert Ironside. When she reached him, she bent down. Ironside placed his hand behind her neck, gently pulling her into a passionate kiss. He then drew her into his arms as she sat down into his lap.

"I told you I would be back," she said as he looked into her eyes. "Della and I thought we would join you boys for vacation if it is ok with both of you."

"I'm all for it," Perry said with a grin while holding Della in his arms. We can stay in that room over there," he pointed. "Bob and Barbara can stay in the commissioner's room. What do you say, Bob?"

"I'm all for it. I don't know if I could stand two weeks alone with him," Ironside teased.

"What do you say we play Texas Hold 'Em," Perry suggested.

Della made a face. "You want to play poker?"

"Perry is obsessed with trying to beat me ever since our first meeting when I kicked his tail," Ironside boasted.

"Perry, I thought you said you beat him," Della said.

"No, if you remember I said yes….and no," Perry corrected her.

"Just what are you two talking about?" Barbara asked.

"When Perry came to see me, he tried to get me to help him investigate the Martin murder so that he could clear his client. He challenged me to a hand of poker. If I lost, I had to join forces with him and investigate with him. If he lost I got to interrogate his client," Ironside answered.

"Then you lost," Della pointed out, "since you did indeed investigate with him.

"No, he appealed to my sense of justice and I gave it. I beat him in the poker hand," Ironside said.

"No, I had the better hand," Perry insisted.

"You folded. You don't win when you fold," Ironside grinned.

"If you had the better hand, then why did you fold?" Della asked.

"He raised me. If I lost I had to give you up," Perry said as he put his arm around Della.

"Robert, you cheated," Della said surprised.

"He did not," Barbara said. "He simply raised the stakes.

"And Perry folded," Ironside smirked.

"I could not gamble you away," Perry said. He lowered his head and kissed her. "And you would have folded if Barbara had been at stake."

Ironside looked at Perry but he said nothing.

"Robert!" Barbara pretended to be indignant. "Tell him you would fold if he had raised the hand with me."

"Well…" Ironside said. Perry and Della laughed.

"Ok, I'd fold…."his voice trailed off but he had a gleam in his blue eyes.

"Just can't stand to lose can you Bob?" Perry laughed.

"You can't beat me," Ironside returned.

"Want to bet? How about Della and I against you and Barbara. Whatever team is busted out of the game loses.

"What's the stakes," Ironside asked.

"Losers have to do all the cooking, clean the cabin, make the beds, do the laundry, feed and let out Otto for the next two weeks," Perry said.

"Della, I hope you like house work," Ironside grinned with dimples prominent down his face.

"Not a chance. You and Barbara will be the maids for the next two weeks," Della said backing up Perry.

Barbara laughed as she watched Bob wheel out of the room and return with a deck of cards. He wheeled over to the coffee table where Perry, Della and Barbara had already taken their places. Ironside reached over, roughed up Otto who wagged his tail wildly. He then tossed the deck of cards to Perry and said, "Deal counselor."

The End

Stay tuned as another Perry Mason/Ironside crossover is in the works.

Thanks for reading.

Kaleen1212


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